Little Things
by ausllyshipper667
Summary: I won't let these little things slip, out of my mouth, but if I do, it's you, it's you they add up too, and I'm in love with you, and all these little things :)
1. You're Hand Fits In Mine

Chapter One

You're Hand Fits In Mine Like It's Made Just For Me

What is the meaning of love? How do you know when your in love? How do you know when it's a friend love or a true love? Do you feel something? Do you feel different? I know I'm only fifteen, but I'm always afraid that I'm going to mistake a silly relationship with true love, or be in love and not realize it. Love is so complicated to understand.

I know I've never been in love before, and I hope when I do fall in love, that it is as clear as day to see it. I hope it's not oblivious to me. I hope as soon as I set my sights on the girl, I'll know.

I'm thinking about love when I wake up Friday morning to get ready for school. Yes, the Austin Moon does think of romance and such like that. It's just, love is such an interesting, intriguing topic and it's something that someday I hope I could find. I know my parents found it in each other. I just wonder how they knew.

I roll out of bed and throw on a simple pair of khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt. I like to keep it low profile when I go to school. I want people to get that I can dress and act like a normal person at school. Just because I'm a celebrity doesn't mean I deserve special treatment. If celebrities were to recieve special treatment, I shouldn't be the one recieving it. If anybody were to recieve it, it'd be Ally Dawson. If it wasn't for her, I'd still be trying to write one simple song. She deserves the credit more than anybody.

Ally Dawson is my partner and one of my best friends. She is your average short girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She's super shy, especially when it comes to performing (she has a case of stagefright) and meeting new people. She gets nervous a lot and chews on her hair. She is really insecure, always worrying if she isn't good enough. She likes really lame things, makes really bad jokes, stinks at dancing, and is a total nerd when it comes to school. She has A's in every subject. She is a total goody-two-shoes and a play by the rules girl. She is obesessed with cleaning and making sure things are always in perfect order, and sometimes she's so uptight about rules it makes me want to scream.

At the same time, however, she is this beautiful girl who can act crazy around her friends. She's super talented with the voice of an angel. Her lame jokes usually pass off as adorable, and on more than one occasion her follow the rules attitude gotten us out of trouble. She has a way of making everybody feel better and you can go and talk to her about anything, and she always understands. She's amazing.

I think about her as I prepare myself a quick bagel for breakfast. I eat it on the way to school. I walk there every single morning. On the way to school, I see Dallas Carson. Dallas is Ally's megacrush. She's crazy about him. She can text me for hours with Dallas details if I'd let her. I let her text me some stuff about Dallas, though, because she likes to tell me about her day, which usually revolves around Dallas.

"Hey Austin!" Dallas shouts at me. I cross the street over to the sidewalk that Dallas is walking on. "Hey man, what's up?" I say approaching Dallas. I'm not exactly the biggest Dallas fan. There is something about the guy that irks me. I don't know what it is. He's never done anything to me.

"So, um, I wanted to talk to you about Ally," Dallas starts. My heartbeat increased at the sound of him saying her name. Him saying her name made me angry, though. "Uh, let's hear it," I say. "Well, I want to ask her out, but I figured I'd ask your permission," Dallas says, awkwardly.

I look at him strangely. "I'm not her father," I say, confused as to why he'd be asking my permission. "Well, I know that, but you're her best friend, and your opinion means a lot to her," Dallas says. I nod, thinking that makes sense. "Well, I don't really see you as being a problem, and I know Ally likes you, so I say go for it," I say, putting Ally's best interest ahead of my own. Even though I don't want her going out with Dallas, I know she'll be so excited, and that means more to me than anything else, really. Also, the fact that Dallas had asked my permission makes him seem like an alright guy for her to be around. I'm always looking after her. She's so tiny and delicate. I promised myself from the second I met her, that I would protect her from anyone that hurt her.

"Thanks, Austin. I'll take good care of her. I know she means a lot to you," Dallas says. I nod. "She means the world," I say, "And I'm not trying to be intimidating or anything, but if you hurt her, you will not get away with it." Dallas nods. "I won't, man. By the way, is there anything I should know about her? I don't talk to her that much," he says.

"She's amazing. If you let her walk out of your life, then you're crazy," I say. Every word I'm telling Dallas is the 100% honest truth. Dallas smiles. "You're a good best friend to her," he says, "I can't wait to take her out. We're going to have so much fun." I gulp. For some reason, I don't like him talking about taking Ally out. It's really bothering me.

"Yeah, I'm sure you guys will have lots of fun," I manage to say. I feel a sharp pain in my chest. I can't imagine Ally out on a date with Dallas. Why do I care anyways? It's her life. Why should I care who she dates?

Dallas nods and we pretty much just walk in silence the rest of the way. I bet Ally is running through is mind right now. Well, now we know we have something in common.

We arrive to school. I walk away from Dallas and to my locker. I grab some books out and then stroll down the hallway to locker #3540. I stood at this locker many,many mornings reaching up to the top shelf and grabbing books down for the tiny brunette who could never reach. She's not there yet, so I sit down on a bench by her locker.

My best friend since kindergarten, Dez Worthy, comes and sits next to me. Dez is also my film director. It's amazing the things he can do with a camera and a computer. He can make an amazing video within minutes using old footage. He's great at anything technology. With other things, not so much. See, Dez isn't exactly the smartest tack in the box. Not that I'm smart or anything, because trust me, my grades are low.

"Hey man," Dez says. He's eating a corndog. That's what I mean with Dez. Randomness always finds him. "Hey Dez. What's up?" I ask. He smiles. "I have an idea for your next video," Dez says. "Already? We just finished No Ordinary Day!" I exclaim. Dez shrugs and then pulls out his phone to answer a text.

"No Ordinary Day" is a song Ally wrote. Dez recently got hired by Jimmy Starr to direct the music video. The video took place in an amusement park, and it was about First Love. Kira Starr, Jimmy's daughter had played my girlfriend. She was absolutely stunning, except for the fact that her breath reeked. I can still imagine it. I shudder at the thought.

"Okay," Dez says looking up from his phone, "I was thinking the new music video can be you and Ally. I mean I know she has stagefright, but you guys would look so good together, on screen," Dez says laughing to himself. I laugh nervously. "Look good together?" I ask. Dez laughs. "It's just your tall, she's small, you're blonde, she's brunette, I don't know..it works," Dez says, probably imagining a music video, "It'd be amazing if you and Ally both sung, but it's going to be enough work getting Ally to do the video, let alone sing in it." I shake my head. "Ally won't do your video Dez," I say, positively.

"What video?" a familiar voice asks from behind us. Ally is standing there at her locker, twisting in her combination. "Austin, will you get my math book?" she asks. I stand up from the bench and grab her math book. I grin down at her and she sticks her tongue out at me. "Curse my shortness," she says and then giggles. "You didn't answer my question, though. What video?"

Dez walks over to us. "Just a new video idea I had in the works, nothing major," Dez said, shrugging. "Cool," Ally says, "Have either of you seen Trish?" Dez and I both say no at the same time and then do our what up? handshake. Ally giggles softly. Just then the tiny latina girl approached us, holding a stack of papers.

"Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around this morning, I am passing out flyers for the winter formal," Trish Delarosa says, handing us each a bright blue flyer. Trish Delarosa is Ally's best friend and also my manager. She books my gigs and stuff like that. I guess you could say the four of us our like a "Pack". We stick together and we all became very close with one another. We call ourselves "Team Austin."

I take a look at the Winter Formal paper. Another dance that Trish will probably make me sing at. Not that I'm complaining, I love to perform. Sometimes though I just want to relax and enjoy the night. I'm sure Dallas is going to take Ally there once they hit it off at their date. I sigh. Who should I take?

I look at Ally. She's reading the flyer over. "Wow! There is going to be an ice sculpture there!" Ally exclaims. Of course, out of all the cool things about the dance like the dresses, the DJ, the chocolate fountain, the thing that impresses Ally the most is the ice sculpture. I roll my eyes at her, teasingly, of course, and she playfully hits my shoulder like she usually does.

Just then, Dallas comes walking over. He taps on Ally's shoulder. "Um, Ally?" Dallas asks. Ally spins around and sees Dallas. Her eyes light up and her hand inches toward her hair, meaning she wants to grab it and chew it. She gets really nervous around Dallas. "Hey Dallas," she says in this high pitched, fake sounding voice. Dallas smiles and pulls her away from the crowd.

"Where's he taking her?" Dez asks. I sigh. "He's going to ask her out," I say. Those words tasted like sour coming out of my mouth. Trish smiles. "Aww, they are going to be the cutest couple! Ally and Dallas...Dally!" Trish exclaims, giggling, "Well, I got to go. These flyers aren't going to pass out themselves!" Trish skips down the hallway. Dally? I gulp.

"Are you okay, man?" Dez asks me. I swallow. "Yeah, Dez, I'm fine. Don't worry bout me," I say, as covincingly as I could, but Dez is my best friend and he can see right through me. "I think something about 'Dally' is getting you all worked up," Dez says. I shake my head. "Nuh-uh. It has nothing to do with Dallas or Ally," I lie straight through my teeth. Dez shrugs. "Yep, let's just keep pretending that you don't have a crush on Ally," he says, casually and smirks. "I DON'T have a crush on Ally!" I exclaim.

Dez laughs. "You can't even make it sound believable," he says, and then goes into a fit of laughing to the point where people are staring at him. "Dude, chill with the laughing. And I do not, and I mean do not have a crush on Ally," I promise, matter-o-factly. Even though I'm telling the truth, I feel like I'm lying. Dez controls his laughter to say, "Sure, sure," before having another spaz attack.

Ally comes skipping over and sees Dez laughing hysterically. He looks Ally and he starts laughing even more, looking from me to Ally, me to Ally. "You-guys," Dez says breathlessly, hunched over. He is seriously crying now and clutching his stomach. "Is he okay?" Ally asks me. "Yeah, just being Dez," I say. No need to tell her why he's laughing.

"Anways," Ally starts, "Dallas asked me out! On a date!" she exclaims. I give her a big hug. "That's great Ally," I say, forcing a smile out. Just because I'm not happy, doesn't mean she can't be. And she definitely is. She has a smile on her face that his huge and her eyes are sparkling brightly. She looks beautiful, really, and the smile on her face is priceless.

"I'm nervous, though," she says, her face turning serious, "What if I mess everything up and Dallas won't like me anymore?" I smile at her worried expression. "If he really likes you, it won't matter," I say, "Just be yourself, don't change any part of yourself for any boys." She sighs. "But what if myself isn't good enough?" she asks. I shake my head. "Then he's not the right guy. But if it's not Dallas, it'll be somebody else, don't worry, Alls," I say, trying to reassure her.

"Thanks Austin," she says. She says good-bye and then darts off to class, as do I.

After school, I enter Sonic Boom. Dez is sitting on the counter eating marshmellows from his backpack, Trish is perched on the staircase leading to the practice room, engaged in a fashion magazine, and Ally is serving customers. Sonic Boom is a music store that Ally's dad owns. Ally basically has to work there part time whene her dad is unavailable.

"Ally," I say walking up to her. She smiles at me when she sees me. "Hey Austin. What's the plan for your Friday night?" she asks smiling. "Well I was hoping to work on a song with a certain somebody," I say and wink. She laughs. "I'll be done in about twenty minutes. I'll meet you in the practice room, unless you want to help me work," Ally says and shrugs. I smile. "If you honestly need some help, I won't mind helping you," I tell her and shrug back. "Well, we have some tubas and such in the practice room closet, so if you could carry those down, that'd be great," Ally commanded. I nodded and rushed upstairs to retrieve the instruments. I see Ally's book sitting on the piano bench, and I'm tempted to grab it and read it. But I don't. I'm actually proud.

I carry a tuba at a time down. Ally is certainly relieved she wouldn't have to cart anything heavy down the steps. She smiles in thanks. We do a couple more things before Ally switches the open sign on the front door to a closed sigh. Trish and Dez are arguing in the store so we just dart past them and up to the practice room.

"Austin, I'm scared for my date with Dallas," Ally blurts out as soon as she's in the practice room. "Ally we already discussed this," I say and roll my eyes, jokingly. "I just have a quick question for you," she says. I look at her standing by the door looking sheepish. "I want to hold his hand, but what can I do to show him I want to hold his hand if he doesn't hold mine?" Ally asks. "Where are you going anyways?" I ask. She shrugs. "I don't know he didn't mention it," Ally says.

"Okay, come here," I say. She stands beside me. "Bump into my hand gently with yours," I say. She brushes mine lightly. I grab it and intertwine our fingers. Her hand is so soft and feels warm. It feels really good and fits so perfectly into my large hand. She blushes and then pulls away. Her hand fit so good in mine, it's like it was made for me.

"That's it," I say to Ally awkwardly. She smiles a thanks and then walks out of the practice room. "I'll be right back, I forgot something," she says on her way out. I laugh. She's probably going to go downstairs and text Trish or something, wanting to be less embarassing when it comes to her love life convos.

I watch her walk out. She's so pretty. Well, pretty to me. And to Dallas, apparently. There's just something about her that I can't seem to figure out, but it's driving me crazy. All I know is that if I don't have a crush on her now, I probably will very soon.


	2. Freckles On Your Cheeks

Chapter 2

Freckles on Your Cheeks

After spending a few hours working on the song with Ally, I walk home. As soon as I'm in my room and changed, I collapse on my bed and drift off to sleep with thoughts and mixed feelings about Ally. I'm exhausted and confused. Sleep is the only thing helping me right now.

I have a lot of dreams. They're about a lot of people, mostly Ally though, but that's not surprising because I always dream about her. I know it sounds creepy, but it's the truth. At about 1 AM, my phone beeps, waking me out of my slumber.

I sigh and sit up, rub my eyes, and grab my phone off the bedside table. It's a text from Ally. At 1 AM? Is she okay? I read it.

_**Hi Austin :(( Are you still up? I can't sleep. :(**_

I smile at her text. Even though she has woken me up at one o'clock in the morning, I can't stay mad at her, even for a second. I sigh. Time to go into best friend mode and stay up while she vents to you. Goodbye, sleep.

_What's wrong? _I text back.

_**Nervous :( **_

_About what?_

**_Dallas. Our date is tonight! I'm scared. _**

_Don't worry you'll be fine :) _

**_What if I say something stupid?_**

_You always say stupid stuff around Dallas and he still likes you, so don't worry about it._

**_Yeah, but this is different._**

_How?_

**_Because this time we're on a date. I want him to think I'm cool and thinks I was only acting weird because I had a crush on him. He's not going to look for that in a relationship. _**

_Maybe he likes you just the way you are :) _

**_Yeah, okay :( How can you like hair-chewing and stuttering? It's embarrassing. _**

_Yeah, but it's you :) _

**_I don't what it to be me though :( I want to be like the other girls. _**

_Maybe Dallas likes you because you aren't like the other girls. _

**_No, all his previous girlfriends were like cheerleaders and stuff. _**

_Don't overthink it. Just relax. You're perfect the way you are :) _

**_Thanks Austin! :D That made me really happy :) _**

_That's what I'm here for :P _

**_I'm going to try and go to sleep. Thanks for talking to me :) Goodnight _**

_No problem. Good night Ally. x) _

The poor girl was up all night obessessing over her insecurities. I can't believe she thinks she isn't good enough. She's perfect! She's funny, she's adorable, she's beautiful...oh my gosh.

What I have telling myself since Day 1 not to do, I am doing...or have always been doing...I'm falling for Ally.

The next morning I walk to Sonic Boom. Ally is there working behind the counter. Her hair is tied back in a pony tail and she's wearing a white tanktop and jean shorts. She looks so cute it's unreal. Get a grip, Austin.

I walk up to the counter. "Hey Alls," I say as I approach her. She smiles this warm, beautiful smile. "Hey Austin," she says. "How are you feeling?" I ask her, remembering how nervous she was the night before. "I'm excited, but still nervous," Ally says. She grabs a chunk of hair and is ready to chew it. I grab her hand and pull it away. "There's no reason to be nervous. You'll be fine," I assure her. She takes a deep breath and smiles.

"Guess who got a job at Caroline's Bakery?" Trish asks walking into the store wearing a cupcake on her head. Ally smirks. "Can't be the girl with the cupcake on her head," she says sarcastically. Trish smiles. "I love it! I get to taste all these delicious desserts. It's paradise," she says, spreading her arms wide to show affect.

Ally laughs. "So, who are you going to the winter formal with?" Trish asks, turning to me. I shrug, feeling awkward. "I don't know yet," I say. Trish smiles, "Well I got a date. It's Marcus, a cute boy from my history class." Ally and her do a little girl bounce. "I think Dallas is going to ask me!" Ally adds to the excitement. They squeal and jump.

I am happy she's happy. Really, I am. If Dallas makes her happy then that's what's important. It doesn't matter if I might like her or whatever, it's about her. I'd much rather her be happy. And right now, she's dancing around like she's queen of the world, and to see her smile like that...priceless.

It's five o'clock now and Dez, Trish, and I are all at Ally's house. Dez and I are lounged out on her couch watching football reruns and eating potato chips, and Ally and Trish are upstairs getting Ally ready for her date. We all came over to give her support since she's beyond , of course, isn't going to know we're here. We are going to go upstairs and watch her leave from the window. She doesn't want Dallas to think she's emotionally unstable or makes a big deal out of a date that she needs to call all of her friends. She wants to look like she's been on so many dates she can't even count.

Suddenly, Trish appears at the top of the stairs. "Our master piece is complete," she says, "Drumroll please." Dez and I drum on our legs. "Okay! Here she is! Allyyyyy Dawson!" Trish brings out Ally. They walk down the stairs together. Ally's blushing like mad.

I can't do anything but stare because she looks gorgeous. She has on a pink summer dress and high heels. I see her all the time dressed up, but it still leaves me speechless everytime. Every curl on her head looks perfect. She's perfect.

"So, how do I look?" she asks Dez and I. Dez smiles. "You look great, Ally," he says. She looks at me. I can't even say anything because there is no words to describe how beautiful she looks right now. Dez laughs, "He's mesmerized Ally, he thinks you look guh-orgeous, trust me." He nudges me. I push him. "You look beautiful, Ally," I tell her. Dez smirks.

"Thanks Austin," Ally says and blushes. Trish nods, "They are both right, you look incredible. Dallas is going to be cuh-razy for you." She laughs and then walks into the kitchen. Trish plops on the couch next to Dez. I stand up and go walk into the kitchen to give Ally some support. I know she went in there because she's hyperventilating. Nobody knows Ally like I do.

I walk into the kitchen and Ally is pacing back in forth, tugging on her hair, fighting the urge to chew it. "Ally," I say walking up to her,"You look amazing." Ally sighs. "Save it, look at these freckles on my cheeks. I got them from the sun," she scowls. I laugh. "You can't even see them, Alls. You look gorgeous," I say. She blushes. There's a moment of silence where we just stand there staring at one another, awkwardly. Then, we hear a knock on the door.

"Dallas," Ally says nervously. She chews on her thumbnail. I give her a hug. "You'll be fine," I say. She smiles and Trish, Dez, and I run upstairs. Ally invites Dallas in while she runs upstairs to grab her coat. We are all sitting in her room.

"Thanks guys, I love all of you," she says as she grabs her coat and then rushes out to our chorus of whispered "Good lucks." She runs downstairs and we watch them walk to Dallas's car out the window. He opens her passenger door for her and she smiles with delight. At least he is respecting her. I watch the car until it drives out of sight.

"Are you staying here until she gets back to hear the details?" Trish asks, "We can make some popcorn. Ally left some out for us. I shake my head. "Nah, I'm gonna split. I'm not feeling too hot," I say. Dez shrugs. "I'm going to hang around to here about Ally's date," he says. Trish looks at me with pleading eyes. "Don't leave me alone with this Bozo," she begs. I roll my eyes. "I'm leaving guys."

Dez mumbles something under his breath, but Trish and I don't acknowledge it. "Alright, then," says Trish, "Talk to you later." Dez says, "I'll text you later on. I think we have to talk." I sigh. I know what he's talking about. Trish is superstitious though. "What?" she asks looking between me and Dez. "Nothing," we both answer at the same time. Trish shakes her head. "Something's up," she says, "And I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

I just shrug and walk out of the room. I'm frankly too upset to care. I walk downstairs and outside where it starts to rain. Just my luck. Hopefully Ally and Dallas go somewhere indoors. I don't want her date to be ruined.

As I walk alone in the pouring rain, I think I realize something. I care genuinely for Ally's feelings above my own. I let her go with Dallas because I know she's happy. I care about her safety more than my own. I'd do anything for her, anything at all doesn't matter when. I think everything she does is adorable. I think she's beautiful...beyond beautiful. Everything she does is literally perfect. I realize something that I haven't ever realized before, even though I've been feeling this way for a long time.

I'm crazy in love with my best friend.


	3. Crinkles By Your Eyes

Chapter Three

Crinkles By Your Eyes

I'd been sleeping now for a few hours. When I awaken, it's only nine o' clock. I figure Ally's date must be over, but who knows? Maybe they are at his housecuddling on his couch. My blood boils thinking of him holding and kissing _my _girl. It's maddening.

My phone vibrates suddenly and I grab it off my bedside table. It's a text from Ally. She must have just gotten done with her date. I hope she had fun.

**Austin! I had the best time ever! Thanks for talking to me earlier :) you were right, I had nothing to worry about. You're the best.**

The text causes my stomach to turn inside out. I feel nauseated. The only thing holding me together now is the fact that she had a good time.

_That's great Ally :) I'm glad you had fun. _

There is no reason she needs to feel bad for her innoncent little text.

**Why did you leave? Trish and Dez are still here. I want you to be here too :( They are sleeping over, and it's not the same without you. **

_I left because I didn't feel very good. _

**Pleasee come :(( You can't be that sick. **

_I'll think about it, okay?_

**I hope you come. I miss you :(**

_You'll be fine without me. _

No** I won't :( Please ccomeeee. I want to tell you about my date ^.^ **

And there is the exact reason I don't want to go. However, I know she wants me to be there, and how can I say no to her? It's like learning how to fly. Impossible.

_Fine, I'll come :)) You're lucky you're so adorable. _

I can picture her blushing tomato red. She's really cute when she blushes.

**You think I'm adorable? :P **

_Offff coursee ;D You're Ally Dawson. _

**Lol, that's hardly an reason. **

_Why not? _

**Because Ally Dawson could never be adorable :(**

_Of course she can! She always is. That's why I said it :P _

**You could just be saying that to be nice. **

_I could be, but I'm not. _

**How do I know? **

_You can trust me, I'd never lie to you. _

**You lied to me lots of times. You lied to me about liking my song, you lied to me about not reading my book...**

_Fine, but I would never say something nice about you and not mean it. _

**So, does Austin Moon officially declare me adorable? **

_Austin Moon can declare you a lot of things :) _

**Like what? Silly and annnoying? **

_No, more like sweet and gorgeous. _

**Aww thanks :) **

_No problem. I'll be over in a little bit, okay? _

**Okay! I can't wait till you come!**

_Byeee Allsssss :)) _

Of course she doesn't think she's adorable. She obviously is. I never seen somebody so insecure. Especially somebody so perfect. She's the only reason I'm trudging out into the rain to walk to Ally's house.

It's several blocks away, but my parents are out so my only option is to walk. I sigh as I walk through the dark streets in the warm, sloshy rain. Finally I see the large house at the end of the block. The house is so familar to me, now, considering how many times I'd been there.

We always hangout at Ally's house because it's simply the coolest. She has a huge room, a hot tub, and an awesome kitchen. She has a huge basement with lots of couches and a gigantic flatscreen TV with a Wii.

I dash up the porch steps and knock gently on the door. The door slowly opens revealing the little brunette with her hair in a messy bun, a superman t-shirt, and gray sweatpants. "Hey superwoman," I say as she lets me in. She giggles and poses. "Hey superman," she says back. I laugh. She's so cute right now, I just want to scoop her up and never let her go.

"Come on," she says, leading me down the white-carpeted steps to the basement. "You're soaking wet," she says on the way down. Once we get downstairs, I say a quick hello to Trish and Dez and then take my duffel bag into the bathroom to change into a clean white t-shirt and baggy grey sweatpants that I simply wear to sleep. I came back out.

There were three sleeping bags set up on the floor. I put mine down next to the once on the end. Obviously it's Ally's because it's covered in music notes and has the worn-out brown leather journal resting on top of the purple pillow. She has her stuffed bear that I know she never sleeps without sitting beside her book. I stifle a giggle. I don't care though. I think it's adorable.

Trish smiles. She looks at Ally. "Okay, so now we're all here, let's hear about the date!" she exclaims. Ally's face turns a deep shade of pink, as we all focus our attention on her. I grimace a little, and only Dez notices. He shoots me a knowing look. He obviously knows I like Ally.

"Well, there's not much to say," Ally says, embarrassed ever so slightly. "Aw, come on," I say, "You wanted to tell me on the phone." I encourage her, even though I don't really want to hear about her date. "Fine, well he kissed me goodnight," she says, giddily and presses her hands up to her heart. My heart starts to beat with anxiety and anger.

"And?" Trish asks. "He held my hand!" Ally exclaims, smiling largely at us. I smile back, but my hands are balled into fists. Dez seems to notice my tenseness and decides to swoop in and save me. "Let's watch a movie!" he exclaims. I breathe a sigh of relief to be off that topic, thankful Dez created a distraction. He's a good friend.

Dez pulls out Paranormal Activity out of his large backpack, and Ally turns as white as a sheet. Even though Dez and I love that movie, I shake my head. "If Ally's scared, we aren't watching it," I say. Dez rolls his eyes. "She'll be fine, come on," he urges. Ally just shrugs, trying not to make a big deal, but I know she's scared. It's clear in her brown eyes.

The movie starts. Trish seems to be interested in it enough, although she's also dance planning with a clipboard sitting in her lap. Dez is focused intently on the screen, not wanting to miss a second of it. I love this movie, but I keep looking at Ally to make sure she's okay. Something scary happens then, and Ally screams.

I move across my sleeping bag and over to hers, where she practically jumps in my lap with fear. She buries her head into my chest and I wrap my arm tightly around her, rubbing her back soothingly. I press my lips softly against her hair. "It's just a movie," I mumble into it. I feel her nod against my chest. "It's scary," she whispers. "Turn it off," I say to Dez and Trish, but they don't budge. "Want to go do something else?" I ask her. She nods, and then leads me upstairs into her room.

Ally's room is custom made for her. She's got music notes on the wall and on her comforter. She has a mini fridge filled with jars of pickles and chocolate bars. She has a keyboard and a desk with tons of pencils, research books, a laptop, and a calculator. Just a typical smart girl's dream. She also has a huge bookshelf filled with novels and sheetmusic. She even has a shelf full of CDs. It's clear to see she loves music.

"Why'd we come up here?" I ask. "I don't know, I just wanted to be out of the room with that movie on," Ally says shuddering at that. I laugh. "Don't worry, I won't let anything ever hurt you," I promise. She smiles. I just want to kiss her so badly, but I know I can't. I know she likes Dallas and I know that our friendship is way to important to ever ruin it. I'm just so crazy about her.

I look at the window to see the rain has stopped. The clouds are starting to clear, and you can faintly see the moon and the stars. "Want to go for a walk?" I ask. She nods and then follows me downstairs. I grab my zip-up hoodie that is hanging on the coat rack by her front door and lead her out into the night.

It's a little chilly out. I'm shocked, it was just humid. I don't care though, because I'm warm in my hoodie and enjoying the beautiful night. I walk next to Ally playfully bumping her shoulder.

"So, is Dallas your boyfriend," I ask. She blushes and nods. I sigh. Well that's it. "He just asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes!" Ally says. We stroll further down the sidewalk. "That's good. I'm happy for you," I tell her and she beams, happy with my approval. If only she knew how much this was killing me.

"I love the stars," she says looking up into the sky, "They are so beautiful." I nod and look up as well. "I've seen more beautiful things," I say and look at her, seeing if she'll catch on. I don't know if she did or not, but I can swear when she turns her head away, she begins to blush.

We stop a couple blocks down and look at the moon, which is now out of the cloudbank. "That's beautiful too," Ally says. Her teeth are chattering and she rubs her arms. I just realized now that she's not wearing a jacket, and she's cold. I slip out of my hoodie, and then lean towards her and wrap it around her shoulders. She blushes and slips her arms into the too-big sleeves. "What about you?" she asks, looking at my now bare arms. "You're more important," I say and shrug. She smiles and looks up at me again. "Thanks Austin," she says.

After that, she becomes silent, not speaking a word. "Are you okay?" I ask her. She nods and sighs. "What is it?" I ask, a little anxiously now. She stares at the sidewalk. I slowly lean towards her and tilt her chin up gently with my fingertips. "You can tell me anything," I say looking into those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. What could be bothering her? She was fine a minute ago.

"Nothing," she says, "I promise. I was just thinking." She sighs. I understand that it is a personal thing, so I don't question her about it anymore. I just let the subject drop, and let my hand fall to my side from her chin.

"We better be heading back," I say, "I think it's going to rain again." Ally agrees and then we walk back to her house. When we get back, Dez and Trish apparentely lost interest in Paranormal Activity. They were now playing air hockey on Ally's air hockey table. When Ally and I enter the basement, both of their eyebrows rise at Ally in my jacket. Ally blushes, slips off my jacket, and hands it to me. It says Moon on the back. It's my football jacket. I smile and take it from her hands and toss it on my sleeping bag. Trish and Dez giggle a little.

Dez shoots me a look of sympathy though, after he laughs. He knows I must be crazy about her, and he understands how hard it is for me seeing her with Dallas. It has only been two days since this hold thing came about, but the way I have been feeling about Ally was a lot longer, probably since I met her, and Dez has seen it all along.

I had always loved Ally. The second I met her my heart sped up and my hands got clammy, and my stomach had butterflies. I was usally calm and collected around girls, but around this girl...forget it. It's not fair Dallas gets her. I loved her first. It's only fair.

Sadly though, it's not like in school. Being first in the lunchline is different than being first to be crazy about a girl. I should've realized it sooner, but I didn't and now I can't do anything about it, except hope her and Dallas break up. I really want that to happen, but at the same time, I want Ally to stay with Dallas because I don't think I'd be able to handle seeing her upset.

We all gather around the table then talking about school, winter formal, and other things. I don't take my eyes off of Ally. I can't. Dez notices this, and I think Trish does too, because she snickers at Dez. Ally looks at each one of us, extremely confused. "Am I missing something?" she asks. We all shake our heads, and then move onto another topic.

At one point, we talk about our school pictures. Ally sighs. "I hate mine, I have crinkles by my eyes!" she exclaims, sadly. "Really, you're going to get insecure over that? You probably don't even have any!" I say, shaking my head in disbelief. "Yes I do!" she exclaims and smiles revealing her crinkles. I can see them now, and I find them beautiful, but Ally does not. I just smile. "Don't worry about it."

Later on, we are all laying down in the dark, falling asleep. It starts to rain outside again. After awhile, there is a boom of thunder and a little shriek comes out of somebody's mouth, and I know exactly who it is. I hear some sheets ruffle and then feel a soft hand on my arm. "Austin, are you awake?" she asks in the dark of the night. I look up at her. She's clutching her pink teddy bear. She looks like a little girl. "What's wrong?" I mumble, sitting up. "I'm scared," she says, shuddering. "Of thunderstorms?" I ask. She nods and bites her thumbnail.

"It's okay, they won't hurt you," I promise her. "It's just, one time when I was little, lightening struck my neighbor's house and they were in a fire," Ally says. I guess that makes sense to why she is scared. "It's okay, I won't let anything happen to you," I vow. She nods, still biting her nail. A flash of lightening shines through the window followed by a cackle of thunder. She shrieks and then clutches my arm.

"Come here," I say and I lay down. She rests her head on my pillow as she lays next to me. I pull her against my chest and keep my arms tightly locked around her. "Better?" I whisper, pressing my lips gently against her ear. "Yes," she answers. She turns around in my arms to face me, and then buries her little face in my chest. I press my forehead against the top of her head. And then my lips. I leave them there, pressed against her hair.

"Austin," she whispers in the dark. I feel her arms snake around my waist and pull me closer to her. Our bodies are pressing against each other. It's so warm here on top of this sleeping bag. She's barely conscious, slipping off into sleep. I press my forehead against hers, and look into her eyes. "Yes?" I ask. Her lips are literally an inch away from mine. I can feel them slightly brush mine as she shifts. It's not a kiss, but it leaves me a tingling sensation.

She probably won't remember most of this, or pass it off as a dream. She manages to ask a question. "Am I pretty?" she asks. I feel her breathing on my face. "Oh Ally, your beautiful," I say pressing her even closer against me, if that is possible. A small smile hints on her lips and her fingers clutch to the back of my shirt.

Her legs intertwine with mine somehow and we're all tangled up in each other. I don't want to move. I move my hand up her back to stroke her hair and then her cheek. Her eyelids close and then she nuzzles her head into my shoulder blade. I brush my lips against her forehead one more time. When I'm absolutely positive she's asleep, I whisper "I love you." in the darkness before falling asleep.


	4. Your Stomach and Your Thighs

Chapter 4

Your Stomach and Your Thighs

When I wake up in the morning, my arm is really sore and numb. It fell asleep, and it really hurts and I know exactly why it does. It's because of the girl whose little head is laying right on top of it. I really want to move my arm, but she looks like an angel, and I don't want to wake her up.

I relax back into my pillow. I look around the room. Trish and Dez are still sleeping. I hear footsteps upstairs which is most likely her father going to Sonic Boom for the day. I take my free hand and ruffle Ally's hair. It's so soft.

After about twenty minutes, I feel a shift beside me. I look down at Ally whose eyelids flutter open. She sits up and rubs her eyes and yawns really loud. I laugh and that seems to startle her. She turns and looks at me. She's confused at first, but then she remembers why we're all here. "Oh, hey Austin," she says still in a little bit of a daze.

"Good morning," I say giving her a goofy grin. She giggles. "Why didn't I sleep in my own sleeping bag?" she questions. I laugh. "Because you were scared of the thunderstorm," I say. She blushes, embarrassed. "Oh, right," she says, giggling softly and looking down. "It's okay, you were scared," I say, "And I didn't mind at all." I also enjoyed it, I think to myself. Hopefully she doesn't remember the finer details.

"I'm scared of everything!" Ally says, laughing. "Yeah, but that's okay. Let's go upstairs. I'm hungry," I say, acknowledging my growling stomach. "Do you want me to make you pancakes?" Ally asks in a knowing voice. "Mmm, not today. I have a better idea," I tell her. I sprint up the steps and she dashes up behind me.

"What is it?" she asks when we're in her kitchen. "I'm going to make _you _breakfast," I tell her and wink. She giggles. "Austin Moon, you are quite the gentleman," she teases me. I look down at her and flash her a smile I only use on her.

"What are you going to make me?" she asks. "Hmmm, how about...pancakes!" I exclaim, rubbing my stomach. "Silly, you'd be making them for yourself," Ally says swatting me on the arm. "Fine, I will make you whatever you want," I say. She looks around the kitchen. "I think you should make me an omlette," she says laughing. "An omlette? Chef Moon doesn't serve omlettes," I say, "This is Kitchen La Ally Dawson, not Kitchen La Simon Cowell." She giggles. "I make them all the time," she says. I make a face at her jokingly. "Fine, fine I'll make you an omlette. A cheese one. Don't ask for any special seasonings because we do not usually serve omlettes to the guests," I say, smiling. "The last time I checked, this is my house," Ally says giggling. "Yeah, but not today," I say and wink at her. She laughs.

She watches me make her an omlette. She sits on the counter while I walk around the kitchen. "How about Trish and Dez?" Ally asks. I continue cooking. "Sorry, Chef Moon doesn't serve all guests," I say and shrug. "What guests _do _you serve?" she asks. "Only the pretty ones," I say and wink at her. She blushes.

Just then, Trish and Dez enter the kitchen. "Morning guys," Trish says yawning. "Hello," Dez adds, "What smells so good?" Ally giggles. "Austin's making me breakfast," she says. "What about us?" Trish growls and Dez nods in agreement. "I'll make you guys something next," I promise. Trish and Dez smile and join Ally sitting on the counter.

After a while, we all our finished eating our breakfasts, and sitting at the table together telling stories and making jokes. That's one thing I would miss if Ally and I ever went out. The joking and the laughing. The four of us being so natural together. I'm trying hard to preserve our friendship. One of my favorite things in the world is having the sweetest, most adorable best friend anyone could ask for.

Maybe we could still be best friends if we went out. I mean there are lots of boyfriends and girlfriends who go out and are still best friends. I'm in love with her, anyways, so who cares? The only things standing in my way is Dallas and my fear she won't feel the same.

Later on, we all go downstairs and take turns in the bathroom getting dressed, except for Ally, who goes upstairs in her room to change. I sit on the couch dressed in a red t-shirt and jean shorts with red and black Jordan sneakers. I hear Ally's heels clack across the floor upstairs and make a gentler sound as she comes down the carpeted basement steps.

Even though she's only wearing a blue skirt and a ruffled white tanktop, she leaves me speechless again. How could somebody possibly be that beautiful? It should be illegal. Dez comes to sit beside me and whispers, "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I shoot him a dirty look and smack in the arm. "Ow!" Dez screams bouncing away from me. I roll my eyes. Ally sits next to me on the couch.

"I hate wearing this skirt," she mumbles, "I had nothing else to wear." I frown. "Why do you hate it?" I ask. I think she looks beautiful wearing it. "It makes me look fat," she says and sighs.

Okay, this insecurity thing is going way to far. Ally is nowhere near fat. Even is she was, she'd still be beautiful. "You're not fat," I say, shaking my head. "I gained so much stomach weight, and my thighs are big too," she groans. She did gain some weight since I met her, I could say that, but it's hardly any. And to be quite honest, I don't care if she weighed two pounds or five hundred pounds, she'd still be my same beautiful Ally.

"You're perfect," I tell her. She looks down and blushes. Dez smirks and even Trish, who enters the room, now witnesses my comment, and squeals an "Aww!" "Thanks," Ally says, smiling at me. I wonder if she's starting to like me.

"Well okay everybody," Trish says after an awkward moment of silence, "What are we all doing today?" We all look at each other, shrugging. "We could work," I suggest. Trish shrugs. "I think we should take a break and do something fun!" Ally exclaims. We all look at her wide-eyed. Ally was never somebody to suggest something fun. We all agree with her. "What do you have in mind?" I ask, "Not involving calculators or cloud-watching, please," I beg, but I'm just teasing her. She rolls her eyes. "I don't know, I just need a break from songwriting," she says. "How about that new amusement park near the beach? It's supposed to be huge!" Trish exclaims excitedly, "Maybe they'll give me a job!"

We all roll our eyes. "Trish, you just got fired from Phil's Funtown," Ally says, referring to a different amusement park. That was the one where we shot "No Ordinary Day". Trish shrugs. "Do you guys want to go or not?" she asks. Dez and I scream yes and jump up. "Dude there is like four water rides that are crazy fast and tons of roller coasters," Dez says excitedly. We do our what-up!? handshake.

Trish, Dez, and I bolt up the stairs and Ally walks slowly behind us. I can tell amusement parks aren't really her thing. I wait for her at the stop of the steps, where as Trish and Dez are already out the door with four duffel bags in their hands.

"Austin, I'm not too crazy about the amusement park. Too many scary rides that make me sick," she says, frowning. "Oh yeah?" I ask softly looking down at her. She nods. I reach foward and wrap her in a hug. I have my arms tightly wrapped around her waist, and she has hers wrapped around mine as well, instead of my neck. She presses her face into my chest.

"It'll be fine, okay? You don't have to go on any big, scary rides I promise," I tell her. She sighs. "I'll be left out then," she says sadly. "I won't go on them either, then," I say, even though I so badly want to go on them. I release her and then grab her hand and squeeze it. "Really?" she asks. "I don't care as long I'm with you we'll have fun, don't worry," I promise. She smiles and then then we walk outside to where Dez and Trish impatiently are pacing back and forth waiting for us. "Finally!" Trish exclaims. We grab our duffel bags that Trish had prepared for us that contained sunscreen, snacks, sunglasses, water, money, towels, bathing suits, and anything else we might need.

We walk the couple blocks to the new amusement park which is gigantic. It's forty dollars for a ticket. Forty dollars! We all look at each other nervously. "I thought it was free admission," Trish whispers. "We'd end up spending forty dollars anyways buying tickets," Dez said. We nod. Trish gives her forty and Dez gives his and they pass through. I look at Ally. "I don't have forty dollars. I thought it was free admission and I only brought a little bit of money because I knew I wasn't going on any rides," she says, nervously. I shoot a nervous look to Trish and Dez, and then I pull four twenties out of my pocket. I only have a hundred dollars, but I got to do what I got to do. My mom is going to kill me.

"For me and the girl," I tell the guy. I grab Ally's wrist and pull her through the entrance before she could throw a hissy fit about me paying for her. "Austin!" she yells, "Why did you do that?" I sigh. "So then you could come in! I don't mind paying for you," I say and shrug. She smiles a little. "I'll pay you back," she says. "No, you will not. This is a treat, on me," I promise. She beams up at me, her eyes sparkling brightly. "Thanks Austin," she says and I smile down at her. Wow, I just spent eighty dollars so this girl could have a ticket. I _must_ be crazy about her.

"What should we do first?" Trish looks around, excitedly. "OOOHHH let's go on the Tunnel of Doom! It's a roller coaster through a tunnel in the dark!" Dez exclaims looking at his brochure. Trish wildly agrees and then they look at me and Ally. "Come on guys!" they exclaim.

Ally's face looks pale white and she steps back. "I don't want to," she says, nervously. "I'm staying here with her," I tell Trish and Dez. "Oh come on. You guys cannot honestly say you wasted forty dollars to come and sit around in here," Trish says. "Ally's not going to want to go on anything, Austin is going to stay off with her because he's whipped, and we aren't going to have any fun all together!" Dez yelled. I stared at him shocked. He said I'm whipped in front of Ally? That is low.

Ally bit her lip. "This is all my fault," she whispers, upset. "Aww, Alls no it's not," I say, putting my arm around her shoulder. "Whipped," Dez coughed. "Shut up!" I tell him and he looks taken aback. He doesn't say anymore. "I-I'll go on the rides," Ally says. She looks anxious and upset. "Ally, you don't have to," I say, looking at her scared face. "No, they're right, we should have some fun," she says uncovincingly.

I know she's trying to make a wrong right, but I can't stand seeing her so nervous. I wish everybody would stop pressuring her. "Are you sure?" I ask her. She nods, and clutches my arm. Trish and Dez excitedly run towards the Tunnel of Doom. As Ally and I walk towards the tunnel, the grip on my arm gets tighter and tighter. "It's okay, Ally, don't be nervous," I say. She nods and takes a deep breath. "You don't have to go on," I say. "Yes, I do," Ally says. I sigh. We get in line. She doesn't let go of my arm.

Trish and Dez are several people in front of us. They aren't even talking to us after they gave us a big speech on having fun _together. _They could care less if Ally and I went on the rides or not.

Finally it's our turn and Ally and I get into the car. The attendants push a bar down and Ally grasps the bar until her knuckles turn white. I grab onto the bar with one hand and slide the other one around her waist. "Ready?" I ask her as the car starts to move. She gulps and nods. She scoots a little closer to me.

The next thing you know we're zipping through dark tunnels and going down giant hills. I can't see, but I think at one point we went upside down. This is the coolest indoor roller coaster ever. The whole ride I don't let go of Ally's waist once.

Finally it's over, and I help Ally out of the car. "So, what do you think?" I ask. She stumbles a little trying to walk so she grips my arm again. "That was really scary," she says. "I think you might have damaged my eardrums with your screaming," I say. She nods and takes deep breaths. I pull her into my chest. "It's over, it's over," I say, rubbing her back.

Trish and Dez are nowhere to be found, probably already off to the next ride. So much for that. "Want to play a game?" I ask Ally. She nods and follows me over to a big booth with teddy bears. Ally smiles. "Win me one?" she asks. I smile at her and then play three times until I win her the teddy bear. I know she loves cute, soft things like stuffed animals.

She hugs the bear tightly. "Thank you," she says. I can honestly not get over how cute she is. Everything she does is like adorable, I can't explain it. I just really, really love her.

Trish and Dez come walking over to us. They just got off the Fast Track, a race track ride that is supposed to whip you around the track so fast. Definitely not an Ally ride. "Aww, did Austin win you a teddy bear?" Trish swoons. Ally nods and clutches the bear to her chest. Dez shoots me a smile, and I laugh.

"Let's get some cotton candy," Trish suggests. I buy a large one for Ally and I since I have like no money left. She shoves a big piece in my face and I shove one back. Trish and Dez just stare at us, shaking their heads, wondering how we could have been so oblivious to liking each other before, probably. Unless Ally doesn't like me, but, I kind of think she does a little, because she's been acting like she does.

After a few more rides, we settle down at the pool. We change into our swimsuits. Trish is wearing a purple one piece and she lays on her towel to tan with her ipod in her ears. Dez is wearing his red swimtrunks and he goes to jump off the diving board as soon as he is. Ally is wearing a pink bikini and is laying on her towel with her eyes shut. I'm in the water with Dez in my blue swimtrunks looking at her right now. And she looks gorgeous in that, I must admit.

Dez catches me staring at her. "Dude, you got to tell her you love her," he says, swimming next to me. "I can't," I say and sigh. "Why not?" Dez asks. "Dude, there's still Dallas in the picture, and let's not forget if she don't feel the same way, everything, and I mean everything will be ruined. I can't take that risk, at least not now," I say and sigh. "Man, maybe she wouldn't like Dallas if she knew how crazy you are about her. I think she likes you too, I mean you guys are meant to be together," Dez says. I sigh. "I don't know, let's just hangout." We swam underwater.

After about an hour of swimming, Trish joins us in the water. Dez is happy she came in. I think he might like her. My eyes shoot to Ally who is still laying on her towel. I climb out of the pool and walk towards Ally who is probably asleep. "Ally," I say as I crouch beside her. She rolls over and looks up at me. "Hmm?" she asks. "Wanna come in the water?" I ask.

"Kinda crowded, not really my thing," she says. "Oh come on, you'll get cooled off, and I will make sure nobody bothers you or crowds you. Come on," I say. She stares at me for a couple of seconds before saying fine. She grabs my hand and I pull her off her towel. We run rapidly towards the water, hand in hand, and then jump in. Ally shrieks as she goes underwater.

I'm already up from underwater, but Ally is still underneath. Oh no. What if she can't swim? I throw myself underwater, with my eyes open and swim around until I see her standing at the bottom of the pool, jumping and gasping for air. I swim towards her and grab her tightly before bringing her up to air. She breathes in and out.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. I hold her tightly against me. I always have to watch her. She's so important to me, it'd kill me if I lost her. She nods. "It's alright, I got you. You're going to be alright, okay?" I tell her. She nods. "I-I'm sorry," she says, breathlessly. "It's okay, it's fine. It's my fault anyways. I jumped you in there," I say, "I had no idea you couldn't swim. I'm sorry." She shrugs. "It's okay," she gasps. I smile at her sweet little face. "Wanna get out?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "Go to the shallow end?" I ask. She nods and I swim us over to the shallow end and set her on her feet.

"Guess what I can do?" she asks me. "What?" I ask. She goes underwater and stands on her hands. That's obviously a big accomplishment in her book and I'm proud of her. A lot of people could do that, but if it's important to Ally, it's important to me.

She swims back up and smiles. I clap. "Good job Alls," I say. She slaps my hand for a high-five. She splashes me then with a lot of water. "Oh, you want to start this with me? It's on!" I shout splashing her back. She giggles like crazy and we keep splashing each other. People look at us like we're crazy, but I don't care. I'm just happy to be with this girl, and relieved that she's alright.

I lift her up into my arms and then put her on my back. She wraps her arms around my neck and says "Swim!" I swim over to the deep end, this time making sure I got a firm grip on her. She laughs like a little girl and tells me to go faster. I swim as fast as I could and when we get back to the shallow end I dump her into the pool. She comes up from underwater giggling.

"This is so much fun!" she says. "Isn't it?" I say. I so badly just want to kiss her right now. More than anything. She's staring in my eyes. Suddenly though she her eyes light up more than they had all day and her gaze ripped from mine to somewhere across the pool. I follow her gaze and I see what she is looking at. My fists and my jaw tighten as I look at the young man walking towards the pool.

Dallas.


	5. Dimples In Your Back

Chapter Five

Dimples In Your Back

Ally jumps out of the pool and runs into Dallas's arms where he spins her around and kisses her. I feel my heart split in half and I honestly think I can cry right now. I get out of the pool, grab my stuff, and rush out of the amusement park in my swim trunks. I don't answer Trish and Dez when they ask what's wrong.

I run all the way home. I'm a pretty good runner. Today, I'm a little slower though because my chest hurts and my eyes are blurry from tears. Yes, I'm actually crying. I just can't stand to see**_MY_**girl with Dallas. It's not fair.

As soon as I get home I take a shower and get rid of all traces of chlorine. I get dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts and then lay down on my bed, not caring about anything else in the world. I don't know where my parents are, and to be honest at this minute, I don't care.

Tears soak up my pillow. Wow, I'm such a girl. But seriously, I don't know what else to do. I'm not going to make her break up with Dallas. I want her to do what she wants to do. I just wish she'd realize she loves me or something. That will probably never happen.

I phone vibrates from my bag, so I get up and grab it. It's Ally. Great.

_Where are you? -_-_

**Why do you care, go with Dallas!**

_Are you mad at me? :(_

**No Ally, of course not.**

_Then why did you say that so meanly?_

**I'm just in a bad mood, that's all**.

_You were fine before though._

**yeah, i think all the swimming made me sick.**

_I'm sorry :((_

**_Don't worry about me, Alls. Enjoy your time at the park._**

_Austin, my dad just texted me and said that he has to go on a three week business trip with a music association and I have nowhere to stay, and he says I'm not staying home alone._

**I'll come stay with you or you could come stay with me**

_Thank youuuuu :)))))_

**Yeah, no problem. When's he leaving?**

_Tonight._

**Want me to come get you?**

_Me and Dallas are going to catch a movie after this._

**Fine, just make sure you text me so I know where you are at.**

_I will, I promise._

**Don't get hurt.**

_I won't._

**I dont know what I would do if something happened to you. So be careful.**

_Okay :)_

**Alright, see you later Allygator.**

_In a while Austin-dile._

**That made no sense at all.**

_Lol byee :)_

She's going on a date with Dallas. Great. I can't stand this. I sigh. Well, now I have to deal with three weeks of her and Dallas nonstop.

I make something to eat and watch some football reruns on ESPN. I watch for about two hours. When I'm done, I check my watch. 8:00.

I guess Ally is at the movies with Dallas. I'm thinking about her when I hear my phone ring and pick it up.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hello, is this Austin Moon?" a voice asks.

"Y-yes?" I say, confused.

"Austin, there was an accident."

"What do you mean an accident?"

"Well, your friend, I believe, took a fall down a flight of stairs. She'll be okay, I'm sure," the woman said quickly.

As soon as he said**_ she'll_**, my heart starting pounding.

"Who, which friend?" I ask nervously. I already have a feeling I know who it will be.

"I work at the reception desk and I will need to look her name up. I believe it might be Sally, right?"

I think I'm going to faint. "Ally," I say weakly.

"Austin, we called you because she kept asking for you. She didn't want anybody else. Just you," the lady said sweetly.

"I'm coming, right now." I hang up the phone, throw on my sneakers and then run into the night.

I'm so scared right now, I have never been more scared, even around umbrellas. God, please, please, please let her be okay. Please. I run so fast through the streets, hoping I could get there soon.

I dash through the hospital doors, and to the lady at the reception desk. "Where is she?" I ask, breathlessly. "I have to call the doctor-" she starts. "WHERE IS SHE?" I yell interrupting her. "I-I just a minute," she says and then rushes to grab a nurse.

A sweet looking African-American nurse in a purple shirt and pink scrubs comes up to me. "Mr. Austin Moon, my daughter is a huge fan," she says sweetly, "I'm Nurse Cahill." I shake my head. "Where's Ally?" I ask for what seems like the billionth time. "She's upstairs, but you cannot go up there yet," she says. "What happened? Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay," I beg.

The lady smiles. "She's fine. She's just going to need some time to recover, son," she says. "What happened to her?" I ask, still demanding answers. "She was at the movie theater with her boyfriend. She was coming down them steps that lead from the second floor to the first, and she took a massive fall. She hit her head and got knocked out. She broke her nose from smashing it against the floor and broke her ribs. She also really broke her leg and her foot, as well as tore ligaments in her ankle. She spraint her wrist, and addition to all of this she has a bunch of scratches and bruises, and cuts that needed to be stitched up. She's going to need surgery on her leg and foot most likely. Her ribs are all taped up and so is her nose so that's good. She was complaining about a headache, but that's because she got a concussion. She's still a little hazy and sort of dehydrated because she lost a lot of blood," the nurse says, "And on a totally unrelated note, I think she might have a cold." The nurse smiles.

That's a lot of stuff. Especially with her dad not being in town. I talk the receptionist about that and she understands. She calls Ally's dad who's way out of town, and he promises that as soon as he's back he'll handle all the insurance and health bills and stuff, and that I'll take care of Ally while he's gone.

I pace back in forth in the reception room for about an hour, always worrying about my Ally. Suddenly, I see Dallas walk in. I want to punch him, for not watching her. I wouldv'e thrown myself down the stairs and caught her.

The receptionist tells him the same thing as me, and he walks over to me. "Hey Austin," he says. I mumble a "hey" back. "So what's up?" Dallas asks. What's up? Does he really think I'm going to hold a normal conversation when I can't even take my mind off of Ally? "Were you with her on the stairs?" I ask slowly. "What?" he asks, confused. I glare at him. "Where. you. with. her. ON. THE. STAIRS?" I ask again angrily. "Yes but-" "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU GRAB HER?" Dallas looks mad now. "It happened so fast I-" I snarl. "Whenever I'm on the steps with Ally, I stand in front of her. Always. Because if she falls, I can catch her right away. Don't you think about keeping her safe? You are her boyfriend," I say, my heart hurting.

"Yes, I do, but I'm not going to be overprotective," he says. I tighten my jaw. "I know that I can't live without her. I can't. I can't stand to see her hurt. So I try to make sure nothing happens to her. You call it overprotective, I call it love," I say angrily. "Did you just say you love my girlfriend?" he asks, nostrils flaring. "Yeah, and you didn't watch my best friend, so let's call it even?" I say, my eyes glaring right at him.

Dallas angrily walks away to go sit on a chair. He leaves in about five minutes when he gets impatient. I go out also, to get a Get Well card and some flowers, as well as a jar of pickles. Then I return to the lobby where I doze off until morning.

In the morning, a nurse shakes me awake. "You can go see her now," she says kindly. I bounce out of my seat and ride the elevator up to the fourth floor.I run to room 202. I dash in the door and I see Ally, with her hair sticking up in every direction possible, her bruised eyes closed. She has a big bandage on her nose. The rest of her face is covered in bruises and scratches. I see that she got stitches on her forhead. Her leg is elevated and she's wearing a big cast as well as a small brace on her wrist. Her ribs are taped up and she has an ice pack on her head, probably to soothe her headache. I can see bruises all over her bare arms and lots of scratches and cuts. I can always see she got stitches in several other places as they had not dissolved yet. Even though she's a mess, I still think she looks absolutely beautiful.

I slowly walk over to her bed and sit down gently on the side. Her eye twitches, and her eyelids flutter open. She groans in pain. She looks at me, startled, but then slowly a small smile appears upon her face. "Hey, beautiful," I say. She smiles and croaks out a "Hey."

"How are you feeling?" I ask, softly. She sighs. "Not too good," she says, sadly. "Well, I brought you something," I tell her. Her eyes light up. I show her the flowers, and she reads the card. I wrote a lot inside of it.

_Dear Ally, _

_I know you are hurt, but hopefully you can still read my letter. I want to tell you that I hope you feel better and that you get well soon. _

_You are absolutely amazing, in case you didn't know, and my whole world revolves you, so get better soon before I drive myself crazy. I was so worried about you, I thought I was going to lose you when they mentioned your name. Then I heard you fell down steps. Which is totally normal, I mean I fall down steps all the time. _

_Ally if you ever need to talk about anything, or need anything, I'm here for you. I will do absoultely anything you need. I want to make sure that you are safe and happy. You can trust me, Alls. _

_When you get better, we are going to write amazing songs and go on tour. I can feel it. Something good is gonna happen. I can't wait till someday when I'm playing Madison Square Garden. I already played Times Square, so that dream already came true. Anyways, you are an amazing songwriter and an awesome best friend. _

_Get better soon, Alls :)) _

_Love, Austin _

Ally smiles at the card and then hands it to me. "Thank you Austin," she says, blushing. I smile the winning smile that I only use on her. "Oh, I got you pickles," I say holding the jar up. Her eyes light up. "Can I eat them?" she asks. "Later. It's morning," I tell her. She laughs. "Oh right, I'm a little out of it," she says, giggling.

She's so darn cute, I just want to wrap her up in my arms and kiss her. Even if she is practically broken.

Nurse Cahill comes in. "Good morning Ally, and Austin," she says sweetly, "Ally honey, it's time for a needle." Ally shudders. "No, please, no more of them," she begs. The nurse sighs. "Do you want to get better?" she asks. "Yes," Ally answers. "Then the needle is necessary.

I lean down and whisper into her ear. "Just close your eyes, and hold my hand. It'll be over in a second," I say softly. I walk to the opposite side of her bed and she places her spraint wrist hand inside mine, while the nurse does the needle. Ally shrieks a little and her eyes get watery. She's so relieved when the nurse leaves.

"When do you get out of here?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"Tomorrow..hey aren't you supposed to be at school? It's Monday!" Ally shouts.

"Shhhh. I skipped. I wanted to stay with you," I say, She smiles and blushes. Ally always blushes.

"My back is sore," she says randomly. She's still feeling a little hazy, so she might change the topic.

"Want me to rub it?"

"No, that's okay. Did you know that I have dimples in back?" she asks.

"No, I didn't."

"Well, I do. And they are awful! They look terrible!"

"I'm sure they are beautiful and you are just overexaggerating.

Ally blushes again. She could win an Olympic medal in blushing.

"Alright, well, I'll be back in about two hours," I say, "I gotta shower and change and stuff."

Ally shakes her head. "No, please don't leave me," she begs,"I feel safe with you."

I stroke her cheek with my thumb.

"I'll be back, Ally. I'll be right back here. I'm going to come back."

"Please stay."

So I end up staying for another half an hour until finally she let me go home.

As I walk out I look at her broken body. If only she knew that Dallas was here last night and went home. I'd be angry if I were her. Of course, I didn't tell her because I don't want her to think her best friend and boyfriend are best friends. No way.

I go home and get changed. Dimples on her back. What a silly insecurity.

I head back to the hospital where Trish and Dez are huddling over Ally's bed.

Ally grins widely and waves at me. "Hi Austin," she says sweetly.

"What was wrong yesterday, man?" Dez asks.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Trish asks.

"What?" Ally questions.

I wave all their questions off. "Nothing, and Ally they are being weird...it's nothing," I say.

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice say "Hey blondie," from behind me.

I turn around and take in the tall beauty with the strawberry blonde long hair and blue eyes. My jaw drops to the floor.

"Cassidy?"


	6. Can't Go To Bed Without A Cup Of Tea

Chapter Six

Can't Go To Bed Without A Cup Of Tea

Okay, first of all why would Cassidy be in the hospital? Second of all, she comes at the worst time possible. Seriously?

"Yep, it's me," Cassidy says, beaming, "And I'm still looking for that date." She winks at me. I force a smile out. "About that..." Cassidy gleams, interrupting me. "I have been thinking about you so much. I missed you. And I know you missed me, based off of that song you wrote for me," she says. I sort of feel bad now. "Actually, I-" "Where are you going to take me?" she asks. I sigh.

"I don't know," I give up, defeated, "Wherever you want to go." I smile at her, but it's not my winning smile. I only got that for one person and I have no intentions on letting anybody else receive it.

I look behind me at Ally who's staring at us with curiosity and interest. Trish and Dez stare at Cassidy as well, their jaws dropped opened. It has been forever since any of us saw Cassidy. She was in L.A. with her band.

I think I can see a glimmer of sadness in Ally's eyes. Maybe she is jealous of Cassidy. If she only knew that my heart belongs to her and nobody else. Then again, she could have Dallas running through her mind. My fists clench at the thought of him.

"Well, I was thinking maybe a restaurant," Cassidy says, but it's background noise. Ally groans a little in pain and even though it was a tiny sound, I still rush to her side. "Are you okay?" I ask gently. She frowns. "My ribs hurt," she complains. "I know, I know. Do you want me to call the nurse?" I ask. "NO, please don't call her, she'll make me take medicine and needles," Ally says, terrified.

"Ally, how are you going to get better?" I ask. She sighs. "I don't know, but I can't take anymore needles, that's for sure," she says. I laugh a little and then turn back to Cassidy who's chatting with Trish.

"Why are you even at the hospital?" I ask Cassidy. She smiles. "My grandfather is in here. I came to visit him, and I heard your voice down the hall," she says, sweetly. I nod and then she bounds forwards and wraps me in a hug. "Oh Austin, I missed you," she says. I sigh. How can I tell her I'm in love with Ally?

I hug her back, but lightly, and she grins before walking out. "Can't wait for our date, blondie. I'll be coming to see you tomorrow so we can schedule it," she calls as she walks out the door.

Dez makes a face. "That sucks man," he says as soon as Cassidy is gone. Ally frowns. "Why would it suck?" she asks. I glare at Dez. "Um," Dez starts, "Austin is into...somebody...else." My eyes widen at him and I feel like screaming. Ally looks confused. "Who is it? How come you didn't tell me about her?" Ally asks. _Because you are her. _I think.

"Uh, well, it never came up," I say, awkwardly. I make a face at Dez. "Tell me about her!" Ally exclaims. I sigh and sit on the edge of her bed.

"What do you want to know?" I ask. Should I make up somebody? I have a better idea. I'll just tell her the truth to every question she asks.

"Um, what's her favorite color?" Ally asks. "Um, purple," I say and Ally giggles. "That's my favorite color too!" she says. I laugh, because she has no idea I'm talking about her.

"Hmm okay. What's her name?" she asks. Shit. "Uh her name is Alexis," I say. That sounds close to Ally, kind of. Ally nods.

Dez smirks, and leaves the room with Trish on his heels. They hang out way to much. I turn back to Ally. "What does she look like?" Ally asks.

I take a good look at her and then smile. "Well, I can't really say much except she's beautiful. She's the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire life. I think she's perfect. She has brown eyes that I can stare into and get lost into. She has the most beautiful smile," I say, and as I say it I do actually feel myself getting lost into those curious brown eyes.

"You're really lucky you have her," Ally says, smiling but the smile doesn't touch her eyes. Maybe she's upset. "Well, I don't have her yet," I say and look sadly at her. "Why don't you just ask her out?" she asks. "She's a good friend of minye and I'm afraid if I ask her out, she might not like me back, and we won't be friends anymore. And I think she's crazy about somebody else," I say, upset. Those words tear my heart apart. Ally looks sad. "Aww, poor Austin," she says sadly. I wonder how she could possibly be so oblivious. "Don't worry about me, worry about getting yourself better," I say softly. I reach for her hand and stroke it with mine. "I love when you do that, it makes me feel safe," she tells me. The room is quiet and empty. I stare into her eyes and she stares into mine and it seems like we are the only people in the world.

Ally sighs. "How come Dallas didn't come see me?" she asks randomly. She looks hurt. I honestly could punch him in the mouth. "I don't know Alls," I say. I think about last night in the lobby. I was very angry at him.

"Do you think he actually loves me?" she asks, tears filling her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure he does," I lie, because clearly he doesn't, but I don't want to see my Ally crying anymore. I reach forward and wipe the tears with the back of my hand. She mumbles something then and I can't understand her. "What?" I ask. "Nothing," she says and then sniffles.

I don't leave Ally's side again. I stay with her the rest of the day, telling her stories, making her laugh, and having conversations. I just want her to be happy. She eats the pickles I got her. I hold her hand if they give her medicine or needles, and I cuddle with her when she is cold. She also has a cold, so she might have some chills. We watch TV at night, her head on my shoulder and her eyes getting droopy. She drinks a tea, which she can't go to sleep without, and then I think she falls asleep. Finally I turn off the TV set, when I'm pretty sure she's out.

I wrap her up in the blanket tightly and then make my way over to a hospital chair to sleep. I'm not going home. No way. I'm not leaving her. I just get settled into the chair when I hear the small voice say, "Austin?" I thought she was asleep. "Yeah?" I ask into the dark. "Where did you go?" she asks. "To sleep on this chair," I answer.

"Why did you leave me?" she asks. I smile to myself in the dark. "Why, do you want me to come back?" I ask. I hear the sheets muffle and a cough. I smile again. I know she wants me to come back. I still sit in the dark waiting for her answer.

"A little," she finally says. I laugh and then walk across the dark room to her bed.

I lay beside her and she rests her head on my chest. I put my arm around her and she clutches my black sweatshirt with her tiny fingers before drifting off to sleep. It's a matter of no time, before I too, am unconscious.

The next morning, the sun shows brightly through the window. I groggily open my eyes and peer at Ally who is still asleep upon my chest. I look down at her. She is breathing lightly and sniffling a little from her cold. After a couple of minutes, her eyes open and stare directly upwards towards me. "Good morning," I say, laughing. "Good morning," she says in a sweet little voice. "You get to go home today, or to my house, or wherever you want to stay," I tell her. "Hmm, how about my house?" she asks. I agree right away because her house is awesome.

"Alright, I got to leave now, but I'll be back and take you home, okay?" I ask. She frowns but then says "Fine." I stand up. "I'll see you later," I promise. She nods and I lean down and kiss her on the forehead before turning and walking out of the room.

I go home and take a cold shower, before changing into some new clothes. I watch a little TV and pack my bags for Ally's house, then ask my dad to drive me to the hospital to get Ally. I can't walk home with her because obviously...she can't walk.

My dad and I get in the car. This is the first time we spoke or even acknowledged each other in a while. "Son," he says, starting the call. I look at him. "Yeah?"

He sighs. "You have been spending an awful lot of time with this girl."

"Yeah, I know."

"And you are just friends?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Why?"

"Well, whenever you talk about her or are around her, you get this look in your eyes. I don't know."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I think you might have feelings for her, son. You'd do anything for her, it's clear right now in this moment."

"I know. I do have feelings for her, Dad. I'm in love with her."

"Thought so."

"What should I do?"

"Tell her."

"She has a boyfriend."

"Yikes. Um, I got nothing."

"Didn't think you would."

"If it was meant to be, you will end up with her. If you don't, then she's not the one."

I gulp. I want her to be the one, though. "Okay."

We pull up at the hospital. My dad waits in the car while I run inside to get Ally. I walk into her room where the nurse is packing her bags. Ally is in a wheelchair. She can't use crutches because of her sprained wrist and her broken ribs. I smile down at her and she gleams back up at me. "Watch," she says and then wheels the thing around the room. I laugh as I watch her spin it in circles and giggle like a little girl. The nurse glares at us.

After taking care of several things, I wheel Ally out to the car. I pick her up out of the chair and place her gently in the backseat. My dad folds up the wheelchair and puts it in the trunk. "Smells like a hospital in here," he says, laughing. I roll my eyes and Ally gives a giggle.

He drives us to Ally's house. I lift her out of the car, and into the wheelchair and then wheel her towards the house. My dad honks the horn and drives off.

I push her into the house. She looks so happy to be home. "Finally," she mutters as I bring her in. I gently lift her out of her chair and place her on the couch and tuck her in a pink blanket. I crouch down beside the couch. "Do you need anything?" I ask her, softly. She shakes her head. "Nope," she says. I smile and then my phone vibrates.

The text is from Cassidy.

_Austinnnnn bear :))) When do you wanna have our dateee?_

I sigh. Ally looks at me curiously. "Is it Cassidy?" she asks. I nod. "When are you gonna tell her about Alexis?" Ally asks. I laugh a little to myself because Ally bought the Alexis story.

"I don't know. Maybe Cassidy will be good for me. Since, yo-Alexis and I will most likely never be together," I say. And that's the truth. Cassidy could possibly be the perfect distraction from Ally since she and I will most likely never be together. I might as well date other girls. I can't spend my whole life moping over one.

Ally nods, sadly. "I wish you and Alexis could get together," she says. I smirk. She doesn't know what she's wishing for. I sigh. "Me too," I say. She looks sad for me. Or maybe she's sad for herself.

"Does Alexis like music?" she asks. "Oh yes, more than anything," I say. She looks down and nods, "Is she good at singing?" she asks. I smile. "Oh yeah, she sounds like an angel when she sings." Ally frowns then. "What about me? Am I good at singing?" she asks. I laugh again and her obliviousness and then become serious. "Mm, yes, you sing beautifully," I say. She smiles and sniffles.

"Ow!" she yells. "What?" I ask, anxiously. "When I sniffle it makes my nose hurt, it's broken," she explains. I look at the white bandage covering her nose and sigh. "I hope you get better soon, I can't stand seeing you like this," I say. She smiles. "Why are you always so nice to me?" she asks, "Not that I'm complaining it's just...no one ever treated me so good and did so much for me in my entire life." She looks confused.

"Because I care about you. You are the most important person in the world to me," I whisper. She blushes a little. "Really?" she asks. She's laying on the couch, sideways, and I'm crouched right in front of her. My face is literally inches away from hers. "Mm, like I said the other day, I'd never lie to you about something like that," I say.

She thinks about this for a minute, and then decides to believe me. I think I should just tell her I love her. I try to find the words, but they don't come out. "What are you thinking?" she asks me. I shake my head, "Nothing." She nods. "Alls, doesn't it hurt your ribs to lay on your side like that, or your legs?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Not really," she says softly.

After that, we spend the day cuddled up watching all of her favorite movies. I make her dinner. It's night now, so I carry her up to her room. I put her on her bed.

"How do I get changed?" she asks, frustrated. "How about you slip your pants off over your cast and then put on baggy sweats so they are easy to get on and off. Then, be careful when you take off your shirt because of your ribs," I say. I grab her clothes from her drawer and then hand them to her. I walk out of the room, and leave her alone to change on top of her bed.

After she's done, I make her a cup of tea. She drinks one every single night. I hold it for her to sip, since she can't grasp it in her hands. "It's so silly," she says, "that I have to drink this every night to fall asleep." I smile. "It's not silly," I tell her.

"Will you lay with me a little and tell me a story?" she asks after she finishes her tea. "About what?" I ask, laying down beside her. "Anything," she says. I think hard in my mind, before finding the perfect story.

"Okay, ready?" I ask. She nods. "Once upon a time there was a girl. She was shy and very sweet, and also very, very beautiful. She had a secret talent though..and it was songwriting," I start. Ally giggles and then says, "Keep going."

"The girl had to work at a store every single day for her dad. She always did a good job. She always made sure all the customers followed the rules. One day, she saw a blonde boy and a red-head boy slamming the drums with corn-dogs. And she thought who is that sexy blonde boy?" I tease her. Ally shakes her head and laughs. "No she didn't. She thought, who is that annoying blonde boy?" she corrects me. I laugh. "Okay. So she rushed over and she whistled in the blonde boy's ears, and the blonde boy thought, wow she's beautiful!" I look at Ally who blushes. "And then what?" Ally asks.

"Then the girl started yelling about all kinds of rules. The boy told her he was going to be a star, but the girl didn't believe him and he had no money to buy any instruments either. Then an old lady accidentally swallowed a harmonica and the red-head had to get it out of her. The next day, the blonde boy came back and asked if he could get a discount on the harmonica because it was inside the old lady's mouth. He really came back though, so he could see the pretty worker," I say. Ally giggles and blushes again.

"After that, he heard the girl singing in the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. And she was singing a really good song, too. He told her to speed it up. After he left, he couldn't remember the song. Later on, he thought of a song to sing, not realizing it was the same song, and him and his red-head best friend made a video, posted it on the Internet, and the boy became an overnight sensation. The girl was angry though, because she had seen the video, and it was her song. She went to the Helen Show where the boy was going to be performing the song live and she wanted to crash the show. However, she didn't get the right set and crashed the news instead. She called the boy a weasel, but not a cute, cuddly weasel, but a mean one. The boy sang on the show, and Helen wanted him to come back the next day but the boy didn't know how to write a song. So he begged the girl for help. At first she didn't want to help him, but then she agreed. The boy and the girl stayed up all night to work on their song. The girl couldn't think of any good ideas, so boy the had to fun her up. He danced with her, and he had the best time. They worked on their song, falling asleep several times, and waking each other up again. At one point, they both sat at the piano playing it at the same time and their hands touched. And the boy hadn't felt so good in such a long time. The boy took the girl to the Helen show with him the next day, and asked her to play the piano for him, because the piano player was sick. But the girl had stage fright. The boy encouraged her, but then he did something stupid and pulled the curtains up to show her off to everyone. She was so nervous, she destroyed the entire set. But the boy didn't care. He thought she was adorable, and he knew he couldn't let her out of his life. So he asked her to be his songwriter. He said that they would make a perfect match. And they did. They made big hit songs together, and the boy became famous all because of the shy girl. The boy even played at Times Square. The boy and the girl became best, best friends and the boy would do absolutely anything for her. The girl got a little more confident every day, and the boy believes that if the girl works really hard, she could do whatever she sets her mind to. The end."

She laughs drowsily and lays her head on my chest, ready for sleep. "Is the girls name Ally?" she asks, falling asleep. "Yes," I say wrapping my arms around her, "And the boy's name is Austin."


	7. Talk In Your Sleep

ey guys! I just wanted to thank you for all the amazing reviews :) You are all too sweet. I'm glad you like the story, and I'm sorry I haven't been uploading, I've been at Track literally every night and by the time I get home, do my homework, and everything else, I just crash out of exhaustion. On another note, how amazing was Partners and Parachutes? The end was just like asdfghjkl. I love that song, too. Alright I just wanted to thank you guys so much :) Now time for Chapter 7 :)

Chapter Seven

Talk In Your Sleep

It has been six weeks now, and Ally has been doing a lot better. She's walking now, with a brace, and everything else has practically healed. I'm so happy she's better.

Those were long weeks. Even after her father returned, Ally needed my help at school and wherever else we went. I didn't mind though. I brought her everywhere with me, and I made sure she didn't get hurt anymore. There were a few nights where she called my house crying because she couldn't fall asleep because everything just hurt so bad. I would get out of bed and walk the couple of blocks to her house to hold her until she fell asleep.

I also learned something about Ally. She talks in her sleep. It's the strangest thing, but completely adorable. She said my name a lot, to my enjoyment, and lots of other things. When I brought it up, she blushed out of embarrassment and immediately asked what I heard. I said I couldn't tell, because I didn't want to embarrass her any further, even though there was absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.

The winter formal is this weekend and right now Ally, Trish, Dez and I are at the mall. Ally and Trish need dresses and Dez and I need tuxes.

Ally is apparently going with Dallas. It makes me more angry than jealous. He has been totally MIA during her injury. He might have visited her twice during the six weeks, and made small talk with her in the hallway. It's not fair that he gets all the flattery. Honestly, I have been the one taking care of her for more than a month, and now that she's better you just step in and decide you are going to take her to winter formal? Really?

I have to find somebody to take to this dance. Cassidy would have been a good choice, but our date didn't go very well.

FLASHBACK

_ I pick Cassidy up at her parents house. She comes to the door wearing a pink dress and pink flats, with her hair falling perfectly down her shoulders. She looks really pretty._

_ Of course she could never be close to as beautiful as my Ally is. Nobody in the world can ever be._

_ I have to stop focusing on Ally and focus on Cassidy. Obviously Ally doesn't like me, so maybe things will work out with Cassidy and I will develop some feelings for her like I had before._

_ We go out to eat at a little Italian restaurant. I can't seem to listen to Cassidy. She's telling me tour stories and everything else, but I just can't stop thinking about Ally._

_ Before I left her, she looked upset, and I didn't know why. I asked her so many times if she wanted me to stay, but she convinced me to go. I didn't want to leave, but I had to do it for the sake of Cassidy's feelings and to help myself move on._

_ I look at Cassidy and she's still talking about crazy stuff. Suddenly, I'm interested when she brings up Ally._

_ "So how's Ally doing?" she asks. I smile, just thinking about her._

_ "Good. She's getting better," I say. I love talking about her._

_ "That's good. She's your songwriter, right?"_

_ "Yeah, the best in the biz. She's amazing."_

_ "A little unprofessional though, don't you think?"_

_ That sort of pisses me off._

_ "Um, she's just as good as the professionals," I say, trying to hide my slight annoyance._

_ "Your songs are a little cheesy though, no offense. I mean, I'm not saying anything about you, you're an amazing performer. It's just Ally writes, you know, silly little songs."_

_ I glare at her. "I think Ally is incredible at songwriting," I yell. I can take people talking about me, but talking about Ally? That's just uncalled for in my book._

_ Cassidy looks shocked. "I wasn't being mean or anything, I was just saying, gosh."_

_ "I don't want you talking about her."_

_ "Why? People probably talk about her all the time. She's weird."_

_ Okay. This is just ridiculous now. "She's not weird!"_

_ "Come on Austin! She's so...so...different! I mean she can hardly hold a conversation with somebody. I talked to her in the hospital and before I left. She's just so...awkward and childish.."_

_ I am extremely mad now. "Shut up." I say standing up and starting to walk away. "I'm leaving."_

_ "Where are you going? Back to your ugly songwriter?"_

_ I freeze in my tracks and then turn around. "Did you just call her ugly?"_

_ "So what if I did?"_

_ "She's beautiful, way more beautiful that you will ever be."_

_ Cassidy looks completely taken aback. I shake my head and then angrily leave the restaurant._

END OF FLASHBACK

"Austin?" Ally asks, waving her hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my reverie. "How do I look?"

We are standing in Clare's Dress Shop in the Miami Mall. Ally and Trish are trying on dresses. Ally is standing in front of me now wearing a blue dress that is short, but not to short, and frilly and sparkly. Really princess like. I smile at her excited face. She looks so gorgeous, I don't even know why she has to ask. .

"Perfect," I tell her and she blushes. "Thanks," she says, "I think I'm going to buy it. "Go for it," I tell her, not really caring what she buys. She looks so beautiful in everything. Trish looks great in a purple dress that she decides to buy. Now on to shoe shopping, I suppose. Woo hoo.

Dez and I are bored out of our minds. Ally is trying on flats, since she can't wear heels with her broken foot, and Trish is trying on the heels. Dez and I sit impatiently on the couches watching the girls try on shoe after shoe and go through box after box.

"So you tell her yet?" Dez asks. I sigh. He's talking about Ally. "No," I say. He shakes his head. "Come on man, it's so obvious she likes you. Just tell her how you feel," he says.

"It's not that easy," I say.

"Why not? Just say 'Ally I love you'" Dez says, like it's nothing.

"I can't man. She likes Dallas. And besides, it would totally ruin our friendship."

"You can still have a friendship."

"If she's happy with Dallas, I'm not gonna stand in her way."

"But she'd be happier with you."

"I don't know what she's feeling."

"It's not hard to guess."

I sit thinking for awhile. Can Ally possibly like me back? I think she might, but if she does, then why don't she just break up with Dallas already? He hardly pays any attention to her.

Ally comes limping over to us with a black box. "I found the perfect pair that will match my dress," she says excitedly. I roll my eyes. "It's about time," I tease her. She rolls her eyes jokingly.

Trish still hasn't found a pair of shoes, and Ally's getting kind of stiff sitting. "I need to move my leg," she says to me. Dez stays with Trish while I take Ally to walk around the mall.

"Feeling better?" I ask, as she limps alongside of me. She stumbles a little and I grab her waist. "Apparently not," she says laughing. I smile.

We buy a soft pretzel from a vendor and then stop and sit at a bench, when Dallas comes walking buy. He spots us and waves to Ally. She smiles and waves back. I tense up, remembering our encounter at the hospital a few weeks back.

"Hey Ally," he says walking towards us, "How are you feeling?" I roll my eyes. Like he cares. He didn't even do anything for her all these weeks. Of course though, Ally is flattered by the tiny little question of "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she answers, blushing. I sigh. Making her blush is MY thing. Dallas looks at me and gives a little smirk. That idiot. "Want to walk with me?" Dallas asks. Ally giggles. "Um okay," she says. She stands up and is a little unbalanced. I grab her arm until she's standing up straight and flat on the ground. Dallas growls. "I got her," he says and then grabs Ally by the waist and takes her away from me.

I sigh and eat the pretzel alone. What an idiot that Dallas is. I can't stand him at all, and it's not because of jealousy. It's because he doesn't care about her half as much as I do, and he doesn't make her feel special. She tells me that he hardly ever compliments her, and that makes me angry, because honestly, she deserves all the compliments in the world. He can never love her half as much as I do. Nobody can.

I don't know what to do. Should I follow them? I think I should considering that the last time Ally and Dallas were alone she nearly killed herself falling down stairs. God only knows what can happen to her next.

At the same time though, I don't want to invade her privacy. What she does with Dallas is completely her business and I have nothing to do with it.

After several seconds of debating with myself, I choose my first option. I need to make sure she is safe. I have to.

I follow Ally and Dallas several paces behind, and I can actually hear what they are saying. Dallas is a loud talker, and so is Ally, and even if I couldn't hear her, I know her so well I'd be able to guess her responses anyways and probably be right.

They talk about different things. Nothing really interesting. At one point, we pass a window. Ally checks her reflection and makes a face at it. "Ugh," she says. Dallas doesn't even hear her. He's too busy looking at a thin blonde girl passing by. He raises his eyebrows.

Ally doesn't take notice, she's still too worried about her reflection. "I look awful," Ally says. Dallas mumbles something that sounds like "Compared to that you do," or something, but I'm not sure. "What?" Ally asks. "Nothing," he says and then they walk in silence.

I wouldv'e told her she looks beautiful. I would have held her in my arms and told her that she's the most perfect girl in the world. I would have said I love you so many times by now that she would have to believe it. I wish she knew how much I love her. I keep trying to stop, but everyday I just keep loving her more and more, and I'm not sure what to do.


	8. Sound Of Your Voice On Tape

Chapter Eight

Sound of Your Voice On Tape

I'm not exactly sure what to do now, so I just head home. I honestly don't care anymore. I mean, I care about Ally, of course, I don't care about the situation. I can't keep stressing. I collapse on my bed and shove my face in my pillow.

Who can I take to winter formal? Maybe I won't go at all. That seems like a fine option. But then again, who would want to look back on their life and say they didn't go to the school dances? I don't want to miss anything, but I don't want to show up dateless.

Then it occurs to me: I'm Austin Moon. I can date anybody I want. Any girl would go to semi with me. I start thinking of tons of girls I can take to the winter formal with me.

I feel like I have a set of conditions. Every girl I think of, I find something wrong with her. Not funny enough, not sweet enough, hates music...etc. I can't find somebody who matches what I am looking for.

Well, there is one girl who matches _all _of my conditions, but we all know she's taken. By an idiot.

I hear my phone ring and I answer it wearily. Even without looking, I know who it's going to be. And I don't know what she wants, but I'm kind of mad at her from ditching me.

"Hello," I say, sounding tired.

"Austin! Where did you go before?" the girl asks, getting all sassy with me. Hey, she's the one who wanted to walk with Dallas.

"You walked away from me," I say, drearily. Honestly, I'm not in the mood for this at all.

"Yeah, well what am I supposed to do? Say no to my boyfriend?" she screams. She can't possibly be mad at me. I'm supposed to be mad at _her. _Which I am. And I'm getting even madder.

"Uh..yeah?" I say, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"You hate Dallas so much. I don't know why," she growls. Okay, so now I hate Dallas?

"No I don't!" I scream back. I just keep getting angrier.

"You hate when I hangout with him!"

"No I don't Ally! All I'm saying is that you were with me and then you walked away from me, and that sort of made me mad."

"Yeah, but you left anyways!"

"What was I supposed to do, sit on that bench and wait for you and Dallas to be done? No."

"I just didn't think you would leave without me. I had no one to walk home with, and you know I hate walking in the dark."

"Not my problem. Dallas should have walked you home. He's your boyfriend, not me."

"He had to go work at the library!"

"Sure he did," I mumble sarcastically.

"What? He did!"

"Whatever you say."

"This is why sometimes I can't stand you. You think your always right."

"What? You are like the queen of thinking your right!"

"No I'm not! I always admit when I'm wrong!"

"If that's the case, you'd be admitting it right now."

"I'm. not. wrong!"

"Exactly, Queen of Right."

It's silent then, and I don't think she has a comeback. I smirk.

"Well, I'm still not admitting I'm wrong," she finally says.

"Okay, so ditching somebody is right. Sorry, I was not clarified on that."

"Austin, I didn't ditch you!"

"Yes you did!"

"You ditched me back!"

"I left because you went with Dallas! What was I supposed to do, honestly?"

"I don't know, but you could have at least texted me. I searched all over the mall for you."

"I don't have to inform you on where I'm going."

"I can't believe you are being so mean."

"I'm not being mean, I'm just stating the facts."

"You should have at least told me you were leaving."

"Ally, why do you care? You have Dallas, I don't have anybody. Don't you get it? I don't want to hang around while you stroll around with Dallas. I don't have a girl to do that with. I don't want to watch other people being happy while I feel like shit."

There is another moment of silence. "Is it Alexis?" she asks. I can't even believe she thinks Alexis is real.

"Yeah, it is. And things are just getting worse with her."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How come I never met her?"

"I don't know. You don't have to be involved in every aspect of my life."

"I thought we were best friends."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, there shouldn't be secrets."

"Oh, come on Ally. You have more secrets than anybody!"

"No I don't!"

"Um, your feelings for Dallas?"

"I like Dallas and I show it!"

"But do you really?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah, sure."

"You are an IDIOT!"

"Maybe I am."

"I hate you!" she screams and then she hangs up the phone. I sigh and lean back into my pillows. She's a pain in the ass, sometimes, I got to say.

I feel sort of bad. Maybe I really shouldn't have left her in the mall. I should have at least checked up on her. But she also left me alone in the mall so she could walk around with Dallas while he flirts with other girls. So, she kind of deserved it.

I go downstairs where the clock reads 10:00. I make myself a snack and then collapse on my couch. My dad is in the den and my mom is in her bedroom. I flick through the channels until I find something worthy of watching.

I hear a light knock on my door and I sigh and pull myself up off the couch and walk lazily to the front door. When I open the door, there she is, biting on her thumbnail. She has her hair tied in a ponytail and she's wearing a pink t-shirt and baggy red sweatpants. Her eyes are wet.

I stare at her, waiting for her to talk. She bites her lip. "Are you mad at me?" she asks softly. I can't stay mad at her for a second. When she's looking so sad like that, and so cute, she just melts my heart again. "No," I say, smiling down at her tiny frame. "But I said I hate you," she says, confused.

"Yeah, but I know you don't mean it," I say. She starts to cry. I laugh a little, wondering why she's crying, but I don't ask. I just hug her while she cries into my chest. "I'm a horrible person," she cries. "No, you're not," I say and I wonder how I can go from being so angry to being so not. It's like...impossible to be mad at her for more than like an hour. Especially when she reacts like this.

"Austin, I'm sorry," she mumbles into my chest. Then she looks up at me. "I'm sorry too, I hate fighting with you," I say. She smiles her eyes still wet with tears. She sniffles and then giggles. She's so beautiful.

"Wanna come in?" I ask. She shakes her head. "I got to go, it's a school night," she says. "Oh that's right, Miss Goody Goody has to go home, I got it," I tease her. She laughs. "No, my dad doesn't want me out late," she says frowning. "Then stay over," I suggest. She shrugs. "Can I? You know I'm scared of walking in the dark. It took all my nerve just to walk here," she says.

She walks in and I run to the den to let my dad know, while she calls hers. This is sort of an Ally and I thing. We always plan like last minute sleepovers when we are together but don't want to leave each other. Our parents have gotten so used to it, sometimes they don't even care that we do it.

Ally is already in her sleep clothes, so it's not like she needs to go back and get anything. She runs up the carpeted steps to my bedroom and then falls down on my bed. I come into the room and sit down on the bed next to her where she is giggling like crazy. I jokingly roll my eyes.

"Alls, you're really weird," I say and that just makes her laugh harder. I don't even get what is funny. "Whew, okay," she says, finally done laughing. I give her a strange look and she makes a weird face back at me.

"It's raining out," Ally says, her eyes wandering to the window. "Good thing you didn't walk home," I say and she nods. "I know right," she agrees. "So what do you want to do?" I ask. "Sleep," she says. I'm really tired, so I don't object. "Sounds good," I agree.

She grabs a blanket from my closet and places it on the floor. She lays down and pulls another blanket over her. I get in my bed. She shifts uncomfortably on the floor and I sigh and get out of the bed. "You sleep in the bed, I sleep on the floor. You're way more important, especially with your leg."

She says thanks and blushes and then climbs into my bed and curls up. I turn out the lights and lay on the floor. It's not comfortable at all, but Ally is, so what does it matter if I am or not?

"Austin?" Ally asks in the dark. I groan. "Yes?" I ask. "I can't fall asleep," she says. "You will eventually," I say and roll my eyes. "No I need to drink tea," she says. I sit up. This is ridiculous. "I'll be right back," I say groggily.

She starts to protest, but if I don't get her this tea now, she'll be up all night. I make a tea for her and then stroll to the bedroom. She takes it and starts drinking it immediately. "So much better," she says. I smile and shake my head and then head back to my floor bed after turning out the light.

"I was on TV yesterday," Ally says in the dark. I crinkle my brows. "Really?" I ask, "For what?" "I wrote an essay and it won first prize," she says. I smile to myself. I love her nerdy side. It's adorable. "Congratulations!" I compliment. I can imagine her smiling back. "Thanks."

"My voice sounded so weird. It always does on TV," she says a couple minutes later, "I hate the sound of it." I shake my head. "Alls, stop being so insecure about everything. How many times do I have to tell you that I think your beautiful and perfect?" I hear the sheets ruffle. "Lots, because I can't believe it. It's not true," she says sadly. I sigh and then stand up and sit down on the edge of the bed and squint at her dark figure. I grab her hand and squeeze it tight. "You. Are. Perfect." I say. I can just make out her smile. She giggles and then I release her hand and then go back to my floor bed. Again.

I think about more possible candidates for my winter formal girl, but I can't think of anybody I want to go with. It seems kind of wrong, as well, to think about other girls when I am around Ally even though I'm not dating her. I just feel so much love for her that I can't think straight or clearly about anybody apart from her.

I hear more talking and light snoring through the night, but that is fine with me. Like I said, I love everything she does. I think she could do something totally disgusting and I'd still think it's adorable. That's the kind of spell she has over me. I can't break it either.


	9. Never Want To Know How Much You Weigh

Chapter Nine

Never Want To Know How Much You Weigh

The next morning, Ally and I walk to school. On our way to the school, we see Dallas walking on the other side. Ally beams. "Dallas?" she calls to him. I roll my eyes.

Dallas turns around and smiles, but it is hardly genuine at all. He seems like he doesn't want to be around Ally right now. I sigh as Dallas crosses the street to see Ally. I begin walking away as fast as I can, not wanting to be near Ally and Dallas.

I walk to school like I want to arrive there. I get there really early from my super fast walking skills. I search the halls for girls, and find one who seems like she might be a good choice to the winter formal.

I think she's single because she seems quiet, but she's pretty. Her name is Ashley Hampton. I approach her locker and she spins around. She smells good too. I hope she's nice.

"Hey Ashley," I say. She looks happy that I am talking to her. Maybe she has a crush on me. "Hey," she flirtatiously says. "So, um, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go to the Winter Formal with me?" I ask. She smiles and nods. "Yes! Absolutely! I cannot believe I am going to the Winter Formal with Austin Moon!" She gives me a hug and then skips down the hallway.

I sigh. She might be a crazed fan. I don't know. Fortunately, I have somebody to go to Winter Formal with.

Ally and Dallas arrive at school now. He lets go of her hand outside all the time. Does he not want people to know they are dating? Huh. Another weird thing I observed about Dallas is whenever he wants to hangout he always wants to study. Can he be using Ally to improve his grades? She is awfully smart.

Dallas walks in a different direction than Ally acting like they didn't enter together. Is he embarrassed of her? Because I certainly wouldn't be. She comes strolling towards me then with her backpack weighing her down. She looks like a turtle. It's always been too heavy for her. She hands it to me and I bring it her locker.

"I asked Ashley Hampton to the Winter Formal," I inform her. She smiles, but she looks upset. Maybe she is jealous, although I highly doubt it considering she follows Dallas around like a lost puppy. "That's great," she says the words barely coming out of her mouth. She can't be upset, can she? No.

"Yeah, it is," I say practically as unenthusiastically as she was talking. We awkwardly stand there staring at one another. "Are you okay?" I ask. She shakes her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Um, I gotta get to class, see you later," she says and then darts down the hallway. What was that all about?

If she's jealous of Ashley, which I don't think she is, she clearly doesn't realize that I'm crazy in love with HER. How possibly more oblivious could Ally get?

The rest of the day, I hear a lot about Ashley and I going to Winter Formal. Ally doesn't talk to me again. I hope she's not mad at me. I think she might be.

After school, I call her, but she doesn't answer. I go to Sonic Boom, but she claims she is too busy to talk. Winter Formal is tomorrow and I don't think I can concentrate on that.

Ashley is wearing a lavender dress so I pick up a lavender corsage and a lavender boutonniere. I also buy a tie for myself that goes with the suit I already bought. After doing all that, I go home and text Ally about twenty more times without response and I'm starting to wonder how can she possibly be mad at me? I didn't do anything.

Trish texts me suddenly and tells me that Ally is trying on dresses and to stop texting her. She has a lot on her mind right now, and I'm only making things harder for her. I sigh and send back fine. Trish also says if your going to text Ally text her that she needs to stand on the scale so I can see how much she weighs. She doesn't want to know, because she thinks she gained weight.

I sigh. Ally is so perfect. I know I keep saying this, but it's the truth. I send her a text that says: Stand on the scale, weight is just a number, your perfect. Hopefully she'll honor this text. Finally she texts me back, Thanks. Hopefully that means she's not mad at me anymore.

I go to sleep then, not caring how early it is. I wake up the next morning and plan everything for Winter Formal. I don't know how this is going to go. I call Ashley and tell her that I'll pick her up at 5:00, the dance starts at 6:00.

I spend the rest of the day chilling out, then I take a shower, get in my suit and show up at Ashley's door with the corsage. I put it on her wrist. After that, her family makes us take tons of pictures together.

We are finally able to go to the dance. My dad drives us there in his "nice car" the one we use when we go out. Ashley and I talk the whole way there. Turns out, she is more of a sports person than music, but since I play football, I'm fine with that.

We finally arrive the dance. We take pictures with friends and stuff. I search the place for Ally and Dallas. I spot Trish and the boy that took her and Dez by himself at the snack table. I scurry up to him. "Have you seen Ally?" I ask. Dez shakes his head. "She's probably somewhere in here with Dallas," he says. I nod.

Finally, I spot Dallas in the corner with some girls and guys. I don't see Ally among them. I dash over to Trish. "Where's Ally?" I ask her. Trish shrugs. "I don't know, I didn't come with her," Trish says as her date pulls her to the dance floor. I'm starting to get worried.

Ashley pulls my hand and we dance a little, but my mind is not at rest. I'm focusing on Alls. I'm worried about her. Ashley goes to get a drink then, and I receive a text from Ally.

_Austin I need you :( I'm at Sonic Boom._

**_What's wrong?_**

She doesn't answer then and I start freaking out. I tell Ashley I'm going out to get some air and that I'll be back in a bit. I rush outside and then run to the Miami Mall not caring whether I miss the rest of the dance or not.

I run through the doors of Sonic Boom and I don't see her. I'm assuming she's in the practice room. I bound up the steps and through the wooden door where I find her curled up in a chair in her blue dress, her hair done, and her makeup ruined by tears. Lots of tears.

I run up to her and kneel down in front of the chair. My heart is beating so hard. "What happened?" I ask, concerned beyond belief. "D-Dallas st-stood me u-up," she says tears spilling out of her eyes. My fists clench. I saw him at that dance, without her. I'm angry, so angry that it is uncontrollable.

I pick her up out of the chair, and sit down holding her in my lap while she cries and cries into my suit. Ashley texts me asking where I'm at but I don't answer. I need to deal with the girl that means the world to me first. "Hey, I know it hurts," I whisper, "But it's gonna be better, okay? I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." She nods against my chest. "I'm so sad," she says. I am filled with hatred for Dallas right now. "I know, Ally, I know, but you are so beautiful and funny and if Dallas don't realize that, then he's an idiot. But I realize that and I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to always be here for you no matter how many times we fight, or how many texts you ignore, or how different we might be, I'm going to always be here for you. You know that right?" I ask. She nods and I kiss her softly on the forehead. "Thanks Austin." she whispers.

"Hey, you know what? Why don't you be my date to the winter formal," I ask softly. "What about Ashley?" Ally asks. "She doesn't matter. She's just somebody I went with to get over...Alexis," I say. Ally nods and she's clearly upset about that. I should tell her I love her, but now with her crying and me having to get back to Winter Formal, now is obviously not the right time.

I hold her hand and we walk to Winter Formal together. I take her inside and tell Trish and Dez what happened. They hug her and make her feel better. Ashley is happy I'm back and I dance with her a while, until a slow song comes on. She's waiting for me to ask her to dance but I shake my head.

I turn around and walk towards the only girl that will ever mean anything to me. I hold out my hand and ask her if she wants to dance. She nods and then I lead her onto the dance floor. She wraps her arms around my neck and I put my hands gently on her waist.

"Are you having fun?" I ask her. She nods. "Yeah, thank you so much, you're the best friend in the entire universe," she says. My heart hurts. There's that word: friend. I nod and say, "Anytime." She drops her arms and puts her head on my chest and then wraps her arms around my waist. I smile and pull her closer against me. Ashley is glaring at me but I don't care. I never want this perfect moment to end.


	10. Squeeze Into Your Jeans

Chapter Ten

Squeeze Into Your Jeans

After I'm done dancing with Ally, I go find Dallas. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind. And maybe a piece fist. Or all of my fist. In his face.

Ally stares at me as I cross the dance floor to Dallas and his friends. He has a blonde girl up under his arm and that really pisses me off more than anything. He was probably cheating on Ally too.

"Um, Dallas?" I say standing behind him, "Can we talk?" Dallas spins around and glares at me. "What do you want?" Dallas asks rudely. "To talk," I say. Dallas nods, "Go on." I frown. "OUTSIDE," I say angrily. Dallas shrugs and then follows me out of the building. Once we're outside, Dallas says "What do you want?" again.

"You're an idiot," I say angrily. Dallas frowns. "What's wrong with you, calling me an idiot?" Dallas yells. "You stood her up, you left her crushed and heartbroken. She adored you. She trusted you. And you let her down. I can't even look at you that's how much you disgust me," I say harshly. Dallas laughs. He thinks this is funny. "Oh this is about Ally. I guess this is a good as a time as ever to say that I never liked Ally. No. She just had such good grades and I'm failing math and in order to keep my spot on the football team, I had to improve my grades. My mom is too poor to get me a tutor though, and I knew Ally liked me, so I asked her out and she helped me with math. Now I have an A and I can go back to dating the hot girls and stop wasting my time with a nerd," he says, laughing. I knew it was about his grades!

I hear a gasp then from the entrance to the building and there is Ally, with the most hurt and shocked expression on her face. I can see tears starting to well up in her eyes. She don't deserve this at all. At all.

Dallas smirks. "Another thing I don't like about you: You're an emotional wreck. As soon as somebody says something to you, you're like totally offended by it," he says to Ally, "Stop crying." This only makes Ally more upset. "Leave her alone," I warn in a deep voice, "Or I swear, I'm not afraid to get violent." Dallas rolls his eyes.

I hate this guy. And I never hate anybody. But nobody can hurt my girl and get away with it. It just don't happen.

Ally bites her lip and then looks down. "I knew you didn't like me," she whispers. I can't stand to see her like this. I honestly can't. Dallas rolls his eyes and says, "Get over it." I shake my head and I'm about to throw a punch. "Stop!" Ally screams. I stop my hand in midair. "No violence," she says. I sigh and drop my hand.

"Don't listen to her," says Dallas, "Let's fight." I shake my head. "I'm doing what she tells me to do. She hates violence," I say and shrug. "Whatever, she's annoying. Goody goody, that's all she is. She's no fun. She never drinks or does anything like that, of course she doesn't like violence," Dallas says, rolling his eyes, "No math grade was worth spending time with someone so useless and boring." Ally is trying to hold back her tears, but she fails and they start spilling.

I walk over to her. I hate seeing her cry, it breaks my heart. "Hey, don't listen to him, alright? He's an idiot. You are amazing," I say and she tries to smile, but she can't because she's so torn apart right now. "It's true. I am worthless and boring. You out of all people know how uncool I am and how worthless my musical talent is if I can't perform on stage. Dallas says I'm not hot, which is true. I'm not even pretty. No guys ever just like me. I'm shy, I get upset about everything. I can't even believe Dallas ever liked me. I guess that makes me stupid, too," she says in a shaky voice before sobbing.

"You're a mess and everything you said is true so it's a good thing you know that stuff," Dallas says. Ally bites her lip. I think she's so beautiful and I can't stand to hear her bring herself down like that. "Listen to me," I say to Ally, ignoring Dallas. She looks at me with her tear-filled eyes.

"I think that you are absolutely amazing, you are not boring at all. You are not even close to being worthless. Look how far you have come being a songwriter. And I wouldn't even be close to being famous if it wasn't for you. If you want to conquer your stage fright, you can do it. I'll help you. We'll make it happen. You are insanely gorgeous too, just so you know. You're absolutely beautiful inside and out, and I'm not just saying that because you are my friend and my partner, I'm saying that because it's true. I thought you were beautiful from the second I met you. And if you get upset about everything, I'll do everything in my power to make you happy again because I love it when you're happy and I love your smile. You don't have to change anything. Not the way you look, not your personality, because like I said many times before, you're perfect." Her face slowly lights up and she smiles and starts to wipe her tears away. "Really?" she asks. "Absolutely," I say.

Dallas stands there, shocked. He shakes his head. "Whatever," Dallas says and walks back inside Winter Formal. Ally stares up at me and now has to be the time I tell her I love her. Of course, though, it starts to rain, and we run back inside to the dance where Ashley is ready to give me an earful.

"You spent all night with her!" she screams. "Ashley, I'm sorry. I didn't want to ignore you, but I had something to take care of and it was extremely important," I say. She shakes her head. "You're like...the worst date ever," she says and walks away. I can honestly care less. As long as my girl gets happy again, that's all that matters to me. Whenever she needs me, I'm there and nobody can stand in my way.

The night is over and Trish, Dez, Ally and I all head over to Ally's house. I collapse on her basement couch as soon as I'm changed, exhausted. None of us are into after-parties and stuff so we all go over to Ally's to crash.

I think of Ally as I lay there. She's upstairs with Trish. She's still really upset. I know it is going to take her a while to get over this, especially since she's so sensitive and takes everything to heart. I wonder how I can tell her I love her. I'm really nervous too, actually.

I need something that speaks to her. The answer is obvious. Music. Music. The way to win her heart is music. I need to write her a song. Ugh. Who am I kidding? I can't write a song. But I can do anything for her. And I will. I will write a song for her.

Dez snaps me out of my reverie. "Man, tonight was a bust," Dez says. "Yeah, winter formal wasn't all what it was cracked up to be," I say. "Yeah, I had an awful time. I ate way too many snacks. I didn't even have a date, and I ended up stuck dancing with Mindy all night," he says sadly. "Ally wasn't happy, I wasn't happy with Dallas, you weren't happy. The only one who came out a winner was Trish," I say. Dez sighs. "Lucky her," he mumbles.

The girls come walking down the stairs, no longer wearing dresses, but wearing sweats and t-shirts. Ally's eyes are bloodshot, and obvious sign she was crying more upstairs. She sits beside me on the couch and puts her head on my shoulder. "My life is a mess," she says and sniffles. "I don't think so. You have a lot going for you," I say. She smiles. "Yeah right," she says lightly.

Trish sighs. "Yes you do, Ally," she says and Dez agrees. Ally sighs. We all sit in silent. We haven't been really crazy lately. But we know when to be serious. And when one of us is feeling down, we all have to be serious and sweet to cheer them up.

Trish's phone ringing breaks the silence. She checks her text. "Ally, my sister has some jeans that don't fit her anymore. She gained weight and they are too small on her, so she wants to know if you want them," Trish says. Ally sighs. "What size are they?" she asks drearily. "Small," Trish responds. Ally shakes her head. "I have to squeeze into my smalls," she says, "I'm getting fatter everyday. It'll only make me uglier than I already am," she says and I can hear the shakiness in her voice. "You are not ugly," I whisper, "And don't worry about your weight. I don't care how much you weigh." She looks up at me and smiles. "You are too nice to me," she says. I shrug. "I'm just stating the facts. Trish and Dez smirk. "Sure Austin," Trish says and raises her eyebrows. I frown at her.

After we sit and talk for awhile, and take turns making Ally smile, we all settle down into our sleeping bags. I lie there thinking of song lyrics. I'm starting to think of ideas.

I know she doesn't believe me when I tell her I don't mind all her flaws. Maybe I can tell her in a song how beautiful I really think she is. I need to tell her how much I love all of her little things, and how much I love her.


	11. Little Things

**Hey Guys! So I'm sorry about how long you had to wait for this update. I feel awful because I know a lot of you were into this story. I had a lot going on and haven't gotten around to it. Anyways, this is going to be the last chapter, so please review! Also, check out my new story, Hero! I will be updating it soon! Okay, I'm going to let you read now :) **

* * *

Chapter Eleven

I can hear Trish and Dez sneak out of the basement whispering about watching a horror movie upstairs. I am laying on sleeping bag, listening to Ally's steady breathing in the dark. She's laying across the room on her sleeping bag, and I wonder if she's sleeping or if she's too upset to sleep.

I hear some sniffles in the dark, and that's how I know she's still awake. Her blankets ruffle and she sighs deeply. I hear her stand up, and her soft footsteps pad across the carpet. She stops at my sleeping bag and sits down beside it. "Austin?" she asks gently shaking my arm. I think back to the day when she had come over to my sleeping bag because she was scared of the thunderstorm, or when called my name in the hospital. She needs me. She depends on me.

"Yeah?" I say sitting up, even though I already know why she came over here. She's too upset to sleep, and I'm the only person who is ever able to comfort her. "I just- well you know," she says. I look up at her wet face. I seen her cry too many times this week, and it still breaks my heart. I'm starting to realize a trend here. I'm the only person who knows how to put her back together when she cries. She'd be crying every second of everyday if it wasn't for me!

"I know," I say softly. I want to just grab her and squeeze her and tell her how much I love her, but once again, I don't want it to be the result of her crying over another guy, and I really want to sing to her. So, I'll wait.

We sit in silence for a little while and then she sniffles and takes a sharp breath. "Austin?" she says again, her voice shaky. "Yeah?" I answer. She shifts, looking uncomfortable, and twiddles her thumbs. "I-I wanted to know if I..." she starts and pauses. "What?" I ask. "If I you know...ever like...get on your nerves. Because I feel like...I don't know...like I'm always be annoying...or like an attention seeker or something."

I look at her and put my hand on her arm. "No, you never annoy me," I promise. She nods and whispers, "Good cause I think I need you more now than ever." and starts sobbing uncontrollably. I feel my heart shattering once again before lifting her into my lap as she cries into my chest. This is like.. a typical routine now. She gets hurt so much. If she was with me, she'd never get hurt.

"It's alright," I whisper, rocking her back and forth, "I'm right here." "I knew he didn't like me...I'm so stupid...I-I" she chokes out. I rub her back. "Shh, it's okay. Everything is gonna be alright." She cries a hell of a lot more, then finally her tears run dry.

I carry her back to her sleeping bag and lay her down. I kneel down next to it and brush the hair off of her forehead, and tuck it behind her ear. "Try to go to sleep, alright?" I whisper, "If you need me, just come back." She nods and smiles a little. "Thanks," she whispers. I smile. "You're welcome, Alls," I answer. I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Good night, beautiful."

* * *

The next day, I sit at home trying to write this song. It's really hard to write on song. I've been sitting here since I got back from Ally's and I can't think of anything. Not even a simple verse.

I sigh and toss another piece of crumbled paper on the ground. Maybe I should write something about how insecure she is, and how she shouldn't because she's beautiful.

I think about how her hand fits in mine. Hey, that could work. Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me...but bear this in mind it was meant to be! That's the perfect first line!

I spend the rest of the day writing this song. I didn't take one break. At 7:30, I think I have something decent enough to be called a song. I put some guitar chords behind it, and it doesn't sound too bad.

I decide to go sing it to her at her house. I have to do this tonight. I can't wait until tomorrow, or next week...heck I can't even wait another minute. I will tell Ally Dawson I love her tonight if it's the last thing on this earth I do.

I dash out the door and sprint with my guitar the couple blocks to her house. Her father is probably going to be angry. I knock on the door, and thankfully, Ally answers.

"Hi Austin," she says sweetly. She's wearing pink shorts and a purple hoodie that says "Sing Loud and Proud 2006". I assuming it may have been some type of camp she attended, but I'm not going to ask her about it. I'm here on a different mission. "Hey Alls," I answer. "Do you want to come in?" Ally asks, her brown eyes sparkling. "Can I?" I ask, hoping it's not a problem with her father.

"My dad is sleeping in the living room. I'm just doing my homework. Of course you can come in!" she exclaims. She steps aside and I walk in following her into the kitchen where she has her books spread out all over the table. "Nerd," I huff teasingly, and she rolls her eyes. "So what's up?" she asks, writing into her geometry notebook.

I take a deep breath. "Well, will you come outside with me for a minute?" I ask. I think it'd be better outside, especially since her dad is sleeping. She looks confused, but she nods and follows me out into the yard, where the sky is now black. The air is slightly chilly.

I sit down on the brown bench in her yard, and she sits beside me, staring at the stars. I faintly remember the night when she was looking at the sky and marveling at how beautiful it was, and I was staring at her face. "They are beautiful," she says. I remember her saying that the last time we stared at the night sky. "Yeah, but you're way more," I say and she looks at me with those big brown eyes that I just could stare into all day, and then that smile that I would kill to see comes spreading across her face and the beautiful blush forms on her cheeks...and damn, have I mentioned how badly I want to kiss her right now?

"So why'd we come out here?" she asks, curiously. "I-I wanted to sing you something," I say softly. She smiles, "I knew you had a purpose for bringing that guitar," she says, gesturing to the brown acoustic guitar I am holding by the neck. "Yeah..the song is for you...I-I wrote it," I tell her. She raises her eyebrows, "Y-you wrote a song?" she asks, surprised. I nod and then pull out my guitar and start strumming. I stand up and walk in front of the bench.

Well here goes nothing...I start to sing in a pure voice

_Your hand fits in mine _  
_Like it's made just for me _  
_But bear this in mind _  
_It was meant to be _  
_And I'm joining up the dots _  
_With the freckles on your cheeks _  
_And it all makes sense to me _

_I know you've never loved _  
_The crinkles by your eyes when you smile _  
_You've never loved _  
_Your stomach or your thighs _  
_The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine _

_But I'll love them endlessly _

_I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth _  
_But if I do, it's you, _  
_Oh it's you, _  
_They add up to _  
_I'm in love with you, _  
_And all these little things _

_You can't go to bed, _  
_Without a cup of tea, _  
_And maybe that's the reason _  
_That you talk, in your sleep _  
_And all those conversations _  
_Are the secrets that I keep _  
_Though it makes no sense to me _

_I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape _  
_You never want to know how much you weigh _  
_You still have to squeeze into your jeans _  
_But, _

_You're perfect to me _

_I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth _  
_But if it's true, _  
_It's you, _  
_It's you, _  
_They add up to _  
_I'm in love with you, _  
_And all these little things _

_You'll never love yourself _  
_Half as much as I love you _  
_You'll never treat yourself right, darlin' _  
_But I want you to, _  
_If I let you know, I'm here for you, _  
_Maybe you'll love yourself, _  
_Like I love you _  
_Oh _

_And I've just let these little things _  
_Slip, out of my mouth, _  
_'Cause it's you, oh it's you, _  
_It's you, _  
_They add up to _  
_And I'm in love with you, _  
_And all these little things, _

_I won't let these little things _  
_Slip, out of my mouth, _  
_But if it's true, _  
_It's you, it's you, _  
_They add up to, _  
_I'm in love with you, _  
_And all your little things_

**I DO NOT OWN THIS SONG. Little Things by One Direction **

I finish the song and look at her face. It's expressionless, showing no emotion. I can't tell if she's happy or upset...she's not smiling, but she doesn't look disgusted...

We stand in awkward silence for about a minute more when suddenly a small smile appears on her face, much to her relief. "Did you mean what you said in the song?" she asks. I laugh sheepishly, "Y-yeah," I say.

Suddenly, she throws herself into my arms. I stand there shocked, but then wrap my arms around her waist. "Thank you so much Austin," she says excitedly, "That was the sweetest thing anybody's ever done for me." I smile, feeling accomplished.

"I'm glad you like it," I say, still holding her. "It's a really good song, too! I'm shocked you wrote it!" she exclaims, looking up at me her face excited. I laugh, "Thanks, but I think I still need a songwriter. I think the only reason I was able to write it was because it was for you, and I can do anything for you," I say.

Ally smiles and she looks like she's about to explode with happiness. "Um Ally?" I ask, smiling. "Yeah?" she says, beaming ear to ear. "Why are you acting like you just won the lottery?" I ask, confused. Her smile fades then and she looks down at her feet.

"I-I..never mind... it's stupid," she says. "No, I just want to know," I say. I mean, I only told her I love her. It's not like she needs to act like she's on a candy high or something.

"I-I just I-I'm so happy somebody actually loves me," she says, "That I just want to fly!" I suddenly feel bad for thinking it she was being weird. I laugh and then lift her up and spin her around. She giggles loudly.

"I just can't believe you love me," she says, when I gently put her back on the ground. "Well believe it, baby, because that's the truth," I say pulling her into my chest. "What happened to Alexis?" she mumbles into my shirt.

I laugh. "Alls, Alexis isn't real! She's you!" I explain, "I made her up!" Ally starts giggling uncontrollably. "Alexis is me!" she exclaims, "There's a plot twist." I chuckle and then brush her cheek lightly with my hand.

Suddenly, are laughter dies down, and we're just staring into each other's eyes, my hand resting on her cheek. "I told you how I felt," I whisper, "Now you tell me." She bites her lip and looks down at the ground. "I-I... I'm in love with you," she answers in the smallest, most adorable voice I have ever heard. She just said the words that made life actually worth living.

"I love you too, angel, more than anything else in the entire world," I breathe. I lean in and so does she, and the next thing you know, my lips are pressed up against hers. They taste so sweet, like strawberries, probably from her lipgloss. She smells amazing, too. She has the best smelling perfume and shampoo. She's a really good kisser too, and all I feel are sparks. Her arms are around my neck, her fingers braiding themselves into my hair. I got a firm grip on her waist, and I keep pulling her in closer to me. I lift her up into my arms, not breaking the kiss, and her legs wrap around my waist. She pulls back for air. I am still holding her.

I gently set her on the ground, holding her hand loosely in mine. "That was a really good kiss," she breathes. I roll my eyes. '"That's an understatement Ally. That was the best kiss in the world," I say. She giggles and then I pull her back against my chest and press my lips against her hair.

"We need to talk," I mumble into her hair. She nods, "I know, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" she asks. I sigh, and break apart from her. "Because of our friendship and because of everything with you and Dallas, I didn't want to mess things up and stuff," I say. She nods, and I look down into her eyes that look like she's about to cry. "I- I just wish you would have told me sooner. I wasted all this time with Dallas when I could've been with you!"

I laugh, "Alls, we have plenty of time for that," I say, brushing her cheek. "Forever?" she asks, hopefully. "I think that sounds fairly reasonable," I answer. "You might get sick of me," she says, giggling. "Never," I answer. Everything becomes silent.

I intertwine our hands and they swing back and forth. "Do you think we were brought together by fate?" she asks, suddenly. I shrug. "I don't know, do you?" I ask. She shrugs. "Kinda, I mean come on. I think God made us meet because we are like each other's perfect match. Like, we are the perfect partners, perfect best friends, and now we are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend..." she stops and blushes, "I mean..only if you want to..."

I laugh and roll my eyes. "I know, you are definitely my perfect match. And about that last part..." I say. I reach into my pocket and pull out a sterling silver necklace I had bought this morning on my way home.

I hold the box in my hand and open it revealing the necklace. She gasps. "So...will you...be my girlfriend?" I ask, holding out the necklace. She nods, "Definitely," and grabs the box. She takes the necklace out of the box, and struggles with it.

"Let me help you, Ally" I say. Ally blushes as I put the necklace around her neck. "Wow, you look beautiful in it," I say, after I put it on. She smiles, "Austin, I-I love it when you call me beautiful," Ally says, a small smile forming on her face.

"Well, it's true. I wish their was another word, though, because you are so much more than beautiful. You must be the most beautiful girl in the whole world," I tell her. Ally blushes again. I love that blush so badly. I lean in and kiss her again, shorter this time, but the warm feeling in my stomach is still there.

After we kiss, I pull her down into the grass, her sitting inside my legs, her head leaning back onto my shoulder, and my arms around her tightly. "I think we finally got it right Ally. I think God made you especially for me. I think we are doing this right," I say. She nods. "We definitely are, because I love you a lot," she says, "You are the sweetest guy in the whole world."

"I love you too, baby. Very, very much. You'll never be able to comprehend how much I love you. I love you more than anything else in this universe, more than my friends and family. I love you more than my career. I'd rather be with you than sing. I'd rather die than live in this world without you. You are the most important thing to me ever, and I will always love you forever." I answer. I can feel her heartbeat increase against my arm. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world," Ally says. "Nah, sadly you're stuck with me," I joke. She giggles.

"No, you make me feel really special. You always tell me I'm beautiful and that you love me. You always protect me from anything, I just-I'm so lucky," she says, clarifying herself. "Alright, well I guess you are moderately lucky to be stuck with me. You're right though. I always will protect you from anything and everything. I'd die for you."

I kiss her one more time strongly and more passionately than the other ones. We fall back into the grass, laying on our backs, our heads facing each other. "I love you," she whispers, one more time. "I love you more," I whisper back.

* * *

We go on and live our lives to the best. We get married in a church surrounded by family and friends. We dance to my number one hit Little Things at our wedding reception, our song to our first dance. Our song forever.

Two years later, I am in the middle of a huge record-producing meeting when I get a phone call from a doctor announcing the birth of my first child. I leave abruptly, and speed to the hospital to see my daughter, who is every bit as beautiful as the woman who is holding her. We call her Angela. Austin and Ally and Angela.

When Angela is a teenager, she has beautiful brown hair and brown eyes, just a tiny bit of freckles sprinkled across her cheeks. She has a little bit of a stomach, and not the thinnest thighs, she has dimples in her back and crinkles by her eyes. She talks in her sleep, and is addicted to tea. She's every bit like Ally.

She always complains that nobody will ever love her because of all the imperfections she has. And Ally just smiles at the beautiful teenager and says, "I thought the same thing, but I have all the same imperfections as you, and a man who loves them." And I do. I love every last one on both of my beautiful girls.

My son, Anthony was born when Angela was five. Now Ang is fourteen, and Anthony is nine. He came home from school one day saying he has a crush on a girl with the most prettiest brown eyes. I smiled, and looked at my wife who was standing in the kitchen listening to this. I had laughed and said, the ones with the brown eyes are always the prettiest.

I love every single day I spend with my family. I love my beautiful daughter Angela, and my amazing son Anthony with all of my heart. And even though we are very older now, I am still very in love with Ally like it's the first day I met her. I still love her with all of my heart and soul, and I'd still die for her. We get into disagreements and arguments, but at the end of the day, she's still that beautiful girl I will always love. I will forever and ever love Ally, and all her little things.

The End.


End file.
